by Tyler O’Neil
The Supreme Court Thursday ruled against a Catholic charter school, upholding the Oklahoma Supreme Court decision disqualifying the school for state funds.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the ruling, resulting in an equally divided court.
The court did not issue an opinion, only stating, “The judgment is affirmed by an equally divided court.”
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican, sued the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Baord and its members, seeking to invalidate its contract with St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. The school, supported by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa, aims to operate as a Catholic virtual charter school.
The contract had recognized religious rights for St. Isidore that deviated from the expectation that charter schools remain nonsectarian under Oklahoma law. The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that the contract violated the First Amendment’s establishment clause.
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Tyler O’Neil is senior editor at The Daily Signal and the author of two books: Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government.
