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Oklahoma leaders have reacted to the U.S. Supreme Court’s deadlocked vote Thursday that effectively blocked the nation’s first religious charter school from opening, with some approving of the court’s decision and others lamenting the lack of a clear decision.
CatholicVote reported that the Supreme Court tied in a 4-4 vote regarding the future of St. Isidore Catholic Virtual School in Oklahoma. Justice Amy Coney Barrett had recused herself from the case.
Gov. Kevin Stitt, who had initially approved the publicly-funded Catholic charter school in 2023, released a statement on social media shortly after the court issued its two-sentence ruling, stating that the deadlock is a “non-decision.”
“Now we’re in overtime. There will be another case just like this one and Justice Barrett will break the tie,” he stated. “This is far from a settled issue. We are going to keep fighting for parents’ rights to instill their values in their children against religious discrimination.”
According to FOX23, State Superintendent Ryan Walters agreed in a statement that the ruling is religious discrimination.
Allowing the exclusion of religious schools from our charter school program in the name of 19th century religious bigotry is wrong,” he reportedly said. “As state superintendent, I will always stand with parents and families in opposition to religious discrimination and fight until all children in Oklahoma are free to choose the school that serves them best, religious or otherwise.”
Christian legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) represented St. Isidore in court and also released a statement expressing disappointment. However, ADF also noted that the decision does not set a precedent, which allows the case or similar issues to eventually return to the court.
“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,” ADF Chief Legal Counsel Jim Campbell stated in the release.
The case against St. Isidore began in 2023 when Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed a lawsuit to halt the school’s opening, raising concerns about the separation between church and state and arguing that publicly funding a religious school could lead to taxpayer-funded, Sharia law-teaching Islamic schools in the state.
In an X post shortly after the court released its ruling, he stated, “The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of my position that we should not allow taxpayer funding of radical Islamic schools here in Oklahoma.”
He continued, “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.”
Oklahoma’s House Democrats also supported the court’s ruling, calling the decision “a win for taxpayers and religious freedom.”
