Supreme Court Blocks First Religious Public School in US

A big ruling handed down by the Supreme Court on Thursday means Oklahoma won't be able to establish the first public religious school in the nation:

• The court deadlocked 4-4, with Amy Coney Barrett recusing herself, reports the Washington Post. The tie means a lower-court ruling against the charter school stands. That court viewed the creation of the school as a violation of church and state.
• Oklahoma wanted to use government money to create the faith-based St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, per the New York Times. The Supreme Court didn't provide its rationale for the decision or the vote breakdown, but it would appear that Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the court's three liberals, per the AP.

• Coney Barrett didn't explain her decision to sit this case out, but the AP notes she's good friends with a Notre Dame law professor who has served as an adviser to those behind the school.
• The publicly funded school would have been operated by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa.

(More Supreme Court stories.)