Supreme Court to hear arguments on Oklahoma religious charter school

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a groundbreaking case involving a Catholic charter school in Oklahoma that is seeking public funding. St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School is at the center of the case, which could potentially pave the way for other religious institutions to receive public funds.

Both the Oklahoma Supreme Court and Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond have argued that funding the school would be unconstitutional. However, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, along with several Republican senators, including James Lankford, Josh Hawley, Kevin Cramer, Ted Budd, and Ted Cruz, believe that the First Amendment allows funding for the school.

The case of St. Isidore has been consolidated with another similar case involving the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board. The Republican senators filed an amicus brief in support of the school, arguing that denying public funding to St. Isidore based on its religious affiliation would violate the First Amendment.

The Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board had initially approved St. Isidore’s request for public funds in June 2023, but lawsuits brought the case to the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which ruled against the school last year. The Supreme Court is now reviewing this ruling, which found that funding the school would violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Advocates of the school point to recent Supreme Court rulings that have defended public funding going to religious institutions under the Free Exercise clause. Chief Justice John Roberts has previously stated that once a state decides to subsidize private education, it cannot disqualify religious schools solely based on their religious affiliation.

The amicus brief from GOP lawmakers argues that excluding religious organizations from public projects would set a dangerous precedent and violate the First Amendment. The Republican senators believe that religious organizations should not be excluded from public funding and that they make valuable contributions to society.

The outcome of this case could have far-reaching implications for religious liberty and education freedom in the United States. It remains to be seen how the Supreme Court will rule on this groundbreaking case involving the establishment of the nation’s first religious charter school.