In a 4–4 split, the U.S. Supreme Court reportedly left in place a lower court ruling that blocks public funding for a proposed Oklahoma Catholic charter school. So, what does this mean for religious liberty?
The decision, which came Thursday (May 22), appears to end St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School’s immediate hopes of receiving state funds but sets no national precedent, according to multiple media reports. The Court’s one-sentence ruling noted, “The judgment is affirmed by an equally divided Court.”
Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself, apparently due to ties with the school’s legal advisors.
Key questions
The case has raised questions about the public or private nature of charter schools and whether denying funding violates the Free Exercise Clause. Religious liberty advocates reportedly are hoping for a future challenge that includes all nine justices.
See links to related stories below:
Supreme Court tie vote dooms taxpayer funded Catholic charter school in Oklahoma -Associated Press
Supreme Court deadlock leaves in place ruling blocking nation’s first religious charter school -CNN
Supreme Court upholds Oklahoma decision, in blow to religious charter schools -Fox News
Divided Supreme Court affirms ruling against Okla. Catholic charter school -Christian Post
The links above are a sampling of headlines related to the story and are not an endorsement of all viewpoints or reporting.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was compiled from media reports by The Baptist Paper.
