Supreme Court appears ready to bless the country's first public religious charter school [View all]

[Diamond_Dog]

The Supreme Court’s conservative justices signaled Wednesday they are open to allowing the Catholic Church to launch the country’s first publicly funded religious charter school, despite arguments from opponents who say the school would violate the Constitution’s ban on government-established religion.

The justices heard arguments on an Oklahoma court decision last year that rejected a state contract to open the planned online-only charter school, known as St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. If the justices overturn that decision, they would allow, for the first time, a charter school receiving state funds to teach an explicitly religious curriculum.

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Only eight of the court’s nine justices will decide the case. Justice Amy Coney Barrett has recused herself from the case. She is friends with a Notre Dame professor who advised St. Isidore. Barrett’s recusal means the case will be decided by five conservative justices and three liberals, rather than the usual 6-3 conservative-liberal breakdown.

If all the liberals oppose allowing the religious school, any one conservative could cause a tie, which would leave in place the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s decision barring the school.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/30/supreme-court-favors-first-religious-charter-school-00318087