Supreme Court Deadlocks on Oklahoma Religious School

The U.S. Supreme Court deadlocked 4-4 on whether Oklahoma could establish St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett recusing herself and no opinions or vote breakdown provided. This left in place the Oklahoma Supreme Court's ruling that founding the religious school would violate both the federal Establishment Clause and state law. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and State Superintendent Ryan Walters criticized the outcome as religious discrimination, while Attorney General Gentner Drummond and other opponents praised it as upholding church-state separation. The proposed school would have been the first taxpayer-funded religious charter school in the nation. Legal analysts note that because no precedent was set, the issue may return to the Supreme Court for resolution. The case highlights ongoing tensions between religious liberty, educational choice, and constitutional requirements for public schools.