St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Drummond: U.S. Supreme Court Issues 4–4 Split Decision

LITTLE ROCK (May 22nd, 2025) – A much-anticipated ruling from the United States Supreme Court in the case of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School’s bid to become the first religious charter school was not as decisive as either side may have hoped. Without a majority, the Court issued a brief order in the case, evenly divided 4–4.

The 4–4 decision followed Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s recusal, without explanation, early in the case. As a result, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that the establishment of the Catholic charter school violated both the federal Constitution and Oklahoma state law remains in place.

Without a majority decision, the Supreme Court may be asked to revisit the question of whether religious schools should be allowed to participate in state-sanctioned and publicly funded charter school programs.

For more information about this court decision, please note that the U.S. Supreme Court issued only a one-line, unsigned order reflecting a 4–4 split, with no additional opinion or explanation provided.