Supreme Court Shuts Down Oklahoma’s Catholic Charter School
From Forbes.com
The long journey of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School has come to an end. With a 4-4 tie, the United States Supreme Court has allowed the Oklahoma Supreme Court decision--that the proposed cyber charter violates the state constitution--to stand.
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a one-sentence ruling, with no elaboration or opinions given.
The tie vote was possible because Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the case. Though she offered no reason, it has been widely assumed that her recusal was because of her close friendship with Nicole Stelle Garnett, a Notre Dame Law professor who was an early advisor of St. Isidore and has worked with the Notre Dame Law School’s Religious Liberty Clinic, part of St. Isidore’s legal team, as reported by Abbie VanSickel and Sarak Mervosh at The New York Times.
The original Oklahoma Supreme Court decision was handed down almost a year ago and will now stand as the final word on the case.