The Future of Charter Schools: St. Isidore v. Oklahoma and Religious Education Funding
This case has been widely covered in the media because of the implications that it could have not only for charter schools, but for how the First Amendment applies today. Below is a selection of news reports, analyses, and opinion pieces—both for and against—that represent the educational and legal community’s reactions.
News Reports
Colye, Marcia. “A trio of religion cases marks Spring on the Supreme Court’s argument docket.” National Constitution Center blog. February 25, 2025. https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/a-trio-of-religion-cases-marks-spring-on-the-supreme-courts-argument-docket
Groppe, Maureen et al. “Supreme Court takeaways: Key moments in oral arguments in religious charter school case.” USA Today. April 30, 2025. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/04/30/takeaways-supreme-court-religious-charter-schools-arguments/83368449007/
Jouvenal, Justin et al. “Supreme Court appears open to approving state-funded religious schools.” Washington Post. April 30, 2025. https:https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/04/30/supreme-court-charter-schools-religious-argument/
Mervosah, Sarah. “St. Isidore, an Online Catholic Charter School, Would Be the First of Its Kind.” New York Times. April 30, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/us/politics/st-isidore-religious-charter-school.html
Perez, Jr., Juan and Gerstein, Josh. “Supreme Court appears ready to bless the country’s first public religious charter school.” Politico. April 30, 2025. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/30/supreme-court-favors-first-religious-charter-school-00318087
Quinn, Melissa. “Divided Supreme Court weighs effort to create nation’s first religious charter school.” CBS News. April 30, 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/st-isidore-seville-catholic-oklahoma-charter-schools-scotus/
Totenberg, Nina. “Can charter schools be religious? If so, what does that mean for public education?” National Public Radio. April 30, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2025/04/30/nx-s1-5333818/supreme-court-charter-schools-oklahoma
Yang, John et al. “Justices appear divided in Supreme Court case over publicly-funded religious schools” PBS News hour. April 30, 2025. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/justices-appear-divided-in-supreme-court-case-over-publicly-funded-religious-schools
Analyses
Howe, Amy. “Supreme Court divided over approving first religious charter school.” SCOTUSblog. April 30, 2025. https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/04/supreme-court-divided-over-approving-first-religious-charter-school/
Rosen, Jeffrey et al. “Are Religious Charter Schools Constitutional?” We the People Podcast, National Constitution Center. May 2, 2025.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AQn0zS_5nY
Rowland, Brent/ “Playing the Odds: What’s Next for Religion in Schools?” Oklahoma Bar Journal, Oklahoma Bar Association. April 2025. https://www.okbar.org/barjournal/april-2025/playing-the-odds/
Russo, Charles J. “Can a charter school be religious? The Supreme Court decision about St. Isidore, a Catholic school in Oklahoma, could redraw lines around church and state in education.” The Conversation. January 31, 2025. https://theconversation.com/can-a-charter-school-be-religious-the-supreme-court-decision-about-st-isidore-a-catholic-school-in-oklahoma-could-redraw-lines-around-church-and-state-in-education-248383
Russo, Charles J. “Is a faith-based charter school a threat to religious freedom, or a necessity to uphold it? The weighty decision lies with the Supreme Court.” The Conversation. May 1, 2025. https://theconversation.com/is-a-faith-based-charter-school-a-threat-to-religious-freedom-or-a-necessity-to-uphold-it-the-weighty-decision-lies-with-the-supreme-court-253536
Opinion
Editorial Board. “SCOTUS needs to walk carefully in case of a religious charter school.” New York Post. April 30, 2025. https://nypost.com/2025/04/30/opinion/scotus-needs-to-walk-carefully-in-case-of-a-religious-charter-school/
Editorial Board. “Federal case could have dire effect on WA charter schools.” Seattle Times. April 30, 2025. https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/federal-case-could-have-dire-effect-on-wa-charter-schools/
Kahlenberg, Richard D. “I Wrote the Book on Charter Schools. This Supreme Court Case Could Inadvertently Destroy Them.” Slate. April 24, 2025. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/04/supreme-court-religion-case-destroy-charter-schools.html
Malkus, Nat. “AEI Education Policy Debate Series: The US Supreme Court Should Rule in Favor of Oklahoma’s Religious Charter School. It’s Right on the Law and Policy.” American Enterprise Institute. April 16, 2025. https://www.aei.org/events/aei-education-policy-debate-series-the-us-supreme-court-should-rule-in-favor-of-oklahomas-religious-charter-school-its-right-on-the-law-and-policy/
Smarick, Andy. “Why SCOTUS should—and will—approve faith-based charter schools.” The Thomas B. Fordham Institute. January 30, 2025. https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/why-scotus-should-and-will-approve-faith-based-charter-schools
Wall Street Journal Opinion. “The Supreme Court Debates St. Isidore, the Religious Charter School.” Potomac Podcast, Wall Street Journal. April 30, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tvLIkCMXbU
