The U.S. Supreme Court was divided evenly Thursday in a high-profile case involving the nation’s first religious charter school, upholding an Oklahoma Supreme Court verdict that ruled the proposed Catholic school unconstitutional.
Conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the case, resulting in a 4-4 split. Although she did not explain her decision, the former University of Notre Dame law professor has several connections to the attorneys representing the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School.
Religious organizations have won a succession of votes from the conservative majority recently, permitting public funds to be used on religious instruction and programs. Critics said that a victory for the school in this case may have significantly increased the availability of government financing for religious schools or caused states to withdraw or reconsider charter school schemes.
