Headline Roundup • May 22nd, 2025
Supreme Court Declines to Allow First Public Religious Charter School
Summary from the AllSides News Team
In a recent ruling, the US Supreme Court deadlocked, upholding a lower court decision that blocked the establishment of the nation's first public religious charter school.
The Details: The case revolved around a contract approved by the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board to establish St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which was subsequently challenged by the Oklahoma Attorney General on the grounds of violating the state and federal constitution. The Supreme Court's decision was deadlocked at 4-4 with Justice Amy Coney Barrett recusing herself, thus leaving the lower court's decision standing.
For Context: The case could have set a precedent allowing public funds to flow directly to religious schools. The Supreme Court has previously sided with religious families and institutions in similar cases related to state-funded programs. However, the current decision does not establish a nationwide precedent over the establishment of public religious charter schools. The court did not offer a written opinion disclosing how each justice voted.
How The Media Covered It: The Federalist (Right bias) focused on the arguments of Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who stressed that government cannot favor secular institutions over sectarian ones and framed the prohibition of religious charter schools as discrimination against religion. CBS News (Lean Left) noted that Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican who argued against establishment of the school, said decision could have upended laws in at least 45 states and the District of Columbia, as well as the federal charter school program, all of which require charter schools to be nonsectarian.
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Featured Coverage of this Story
The Supreme Court on Thursday morning left in place a ruling by the Oklahoma Supreme Court rejecting an effort by a Catholic virtual charter school to become the country’s first religious charter school. In an unsigned one-sentence order, the justices indicated that, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused from the case, they had divided 4-4. The order did not indicate how any of the justices voted. That tie means the state supreme court’s opinion remains good law, although it is binding only in Oklahoma and does not have nationwide effect.
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An evenly divided Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court decision that invalidated a contract approved by the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board that established the nation's first religious charter school, blocking the effort in a closely watched case that posed a test for the separation of church and state.
The high court split 4-4, which leaves in place the decision of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Justice Amy Coney Barrett did not participate in the case. The high court issued a one line, unsigned decision stating "the judgment is...
Joe Ravi/Wikimedia Commons/ CC BY-SA 3.0
In a stunning Thursday ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to nullify an Oklahoma Supreme Court decision blocking the establishment of the nation’s first public religious charter school. The final vote was deadlocked at 4-4, with Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett recusing herself from the case.
The high court did not offer a written opinion on the matter or disclose which way each justice ruled.
The case first came to fruition in fall 2023, when the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board entered into a contract with St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. The...
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