WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a bid led by two Catholic dioceses to establish in Oklahoma the nation’s first taxpayer-funded religious charter school in a major case involving religious rights in American education.
The 4-4 ruling left intact a lower court’s decision that blocked the establishment of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. The lower court found that the proposed school would violate the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment limits on government involvement in religion.
Conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the Oklahoma case. Barrett is a former professor at Notre Dame Law School, which represents the school’s organizers.
Interesting that Barrett recused herself. Maybe that’s sign she would vote against this when it inevitably comes back from a different school.
I’m worried it’s a sign she didn’t think the case was strong enough and is signaling she WILL vote for one with a better case. I can’t trust that her intentions are anything but self serving. Maybe this is self preservation on her part, but I won’t give her the benefit of the doubt.