Supreme Court deadlocks, blocking creation of first religious public school

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Last edited Thu May 22, 2025, 11:34 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: Washington Post

Updated May 22, 2025 at 11:11 a.m. EDT


The Supreme Court deadlocked Thursday over the constitutionality of the nation’s first public religious charter school, blocking the creation of a controversial Catholic institution that would have reshaped American education and blurred the line between church and state. With only eight justices voting, the Supreme Court’s 4-4 tie in the blockbuster case leaves in place an Oklahoma State Supreme Court ruling that St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School would violate state law and the Constitution.

A ruling for St. Isidore would have allowed, for the first time, direct and complete taxpayer funding to establish a faith-based charter school, legalizing government sponsorship of a curriculum that calls for students to adhere to Catholic beliefs and the church’s religious mission.

Instead, the current landscape of government funding for religious schools remains intact. Under previous court rulings, taxpayer money may be used for vouchers that fund religious schools, but public schools — including charter schools — may not include religious teachings.

The tie is a disappointment for advocates of religious liberty who have spent years laying the groundwork for increased government funding of religious options. It came as a relief to opponents who say religious public charters blatantly violate the separation of church and state and could threaten the rights of religious minorities and gay people.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/05/22/supreme-court-oklahoma-religious-charter-schools/

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Link to OPINION (PDF) - https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24-394_9p6b.pdf


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Article updated.

Previous article -

Updated May 22, 2025 at 10:27 a.m. EDT


The Supreme Court deadlocked Thursday over the constitutionality of the nation's first public religious charter school, blocking the creation of the controversial Catholic online academy in Oklahoma.

With only eight justices voting, the Supreme Court's 4-4 tie leaves in place an Oklahoma State Supreme Court ruling that the school violates the separation of church and state.

A ruling for St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School would have allowed, for the first time, direct and complete taxpayer funding to establish a faith-based school, sanctioning government sponsorship of a curriculum that calls for students to adhere to Catholic beliefs and the church's religious mission.


This is a developing story. It will be updated.

Original article -

May 22, 2025 at 10:23 a.m. EDT


The Supreme Court on Thursday deadlocked over the constitutionality of the nation's first public religious charter school, blocking the creation of the controversial Catholic online academy in Oklahoma.

With only eight justices voting, the Supreme Court's 4-4 tie leaves in place an Oklahoma State Supreme Court ruling that the school violates the Constitution's separation of church and state.

A ruling for St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School would have allowed, for the first time, direct and complete taxpayer funding to establish a faith-based school, sanctioning government sponsorship of a curriculum that calls for students to adhere to Catholic beliefs and the church's religious mission.

This is a developing story. It will be updated.