Fact Check: Supreme Court's 4-4 Split Left Oklahoma Charter School Funding Ruling Intact
What We Know
On May 22, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a one-sentence order that effectively blocked the establishment of the nation's first religious charter school, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, in Oklahoma. This decision was the result of a 4-4 split among the justices, which left the Oklahoma Supreme Court's ruling intact that deemed the charter school unconstitutional (source-1, source-4). Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the case due to a conflict of interest, as her former employer, the University of Notre Dame, was involved in supporting the school (source-1).
The Oklahoma Supreme Court had previously ruled that charter schools are considered public under state law, which prohibits the use of public funds for religious purposes. This ruling was based on the First Amendment's establishment clause, which prevents government entities from establishing a religion (source-1, source-3).
Analysis
The Supreme Court's decision not to hear the case effectively upholds the Oklahoma Supreme Court's ruling, which found that allowing a religious charter school would violate both the state constitution and the First Amendment. The lack of a majority opinion means that the reasoning behind the justices' decision is not publicly available, leaving some ambiguity about their views on the broader implications of charter schools as public or private entities (source-4, source-6).
The sources used in this analysis are credible, with the primary information coming from established news outlets such as NPR and The New York Times, as well as legal analyses from academic experts (source-1, source-3, source-4). The analysis of the implications of the ruling, particularly regarding the status of charter schools as public or private entities, is supported by legal precedent and expert commentary.
Conclusion
The claim that the Supreme Court's 4-4 split left the Oklahoma charter school funding ruling intact is True. The split decision effectively upholds the lower court's ruling, which found that funding for the proposed religious charter school would violate constitutional provisions. The ambiguity surrounding the justices' individual opinions does not alter the outcome of the case, which reinforces the existing legal framework regarding the separation of church and state in education.
Sources
- Split Supreme Court Blocks Oklahoma's Catholic Charter School - UConn Today
- Maxim Biller – Wikipedia - Wikipedia
- Supreme Court blocks funding of religious charter school in Oklahoma - NPR
- Deadlocked Supreme Court Rejects Bid for Religious Charter School - The New York Times
- Maxim Biller wird 60: Die Deutschen tun links und fühlen rechts - NZZ
- After U.S. Supreme Court Ruling, It's Back to States' Laboratories - State Court Report
- René Scheu: Gespräch und Gestalt. Entspannte Interviews. - NZZ Libro
- Split Supreme Court blocks first religious charter school in Oklahoma - SCOTUS Blog
