US supreme court blocks religious charter school in split ruling

Justices' 4-4 ruling leaves intact lower court's decision that blocked establishment of Oklahoma school

The US supreme court on Thursday blocked an attempt 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 that challenged the constitutional separation of church and state.

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 US constitution's first amendment limits on government involvement in religion.