Okla. Supreme Court considers nation’s first religious charter school

The Oklahoma Supreme Court considered Tuesday whether the state can directly fund religious education, with some justices voicing skepticism that a proposed Catholic charter school could pass constitutional muster but others suggesting there may be little difference between such a school and other instances of tax dollars supporting religious entities.

At issue was a proposal to create an overtly religious online charter school, the first of its kind in the country. But people on both sides of the closely watched case have said its ramifications could stretch well beyond the state and could provide the U.S. Supreme Court an opportunity to expand on recent rulings widening the use of tax dollars in support of religious education.