No opinion was written as the vote was divided 4-4.
May 22, 2025
By Catholics for Catholics
The Supreme Court was deadlocked 4-4 when it upheld a decision that blocked an Oklahoma Catholic school from taking part in the state’s charger school program, according to the Daily Wire.
The decision upholds the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s pronouncement to ban the Oklahoma City-based St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School from being suitable. It was uncertain how the justices voted, but Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the case.
It was the Catholic school against Oklahoma Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who sued the school after the state’s charter school board voted to approve the participation of St. Isidore’s. Drummond contended that permitting religious schools to participate in the program would oblige taxpayers to fund schools with religious beliefs they did not approve of.
Drummond posted on X after the decision from the court was released on Wednesday, “the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of my position that we should not allow taxpayer funding of radical Islamic schools here in Oklahoma. I am proud to have fought against this potential cancer in our state, and I will continue upholding the law, protecting our Christian values and defending religious liberty.”
The school and charter board countered via the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), that Oklahoma discriminated based on religion.
“Oklahoma parents and children are better off with more educational choices, not fewer,” ADF chief legal counsel Jim Campbell said. “While the Supreme Court’s order is disappointing for educational freedom, the 4-4 decision does not set precedent, allowing the court to revisit this issue in the future. The U.S. Supreme Court has been clear that when the government creates programs and invites groups to participate, it can’t single out religious groups for exclusion, and we will continue our work to protect this vital freedom for parents and students.”
According to the Daily Wire, a win for St. Isidore would have struck down a provision of the Oklahoma Charter School Act that expressly forbids religious charter schools and could open the door for more religious charter schools across the country.
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