Supreme Court weighs religious liberty dispute over public funding for Catholic charter school

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

61% : The appeal comes amid a renewed pitch in some Republican-led states to bring a greater religious presence to public education.
58% : The distinction is important, since charter schools in Oklahoma are considered public, free and openly accessible to all.
56% : The conservative high court in recent years has, in select cases, allowed taxpayer funds to be spent on religious organizations to provide "non-sectarian services" like adoption or food banks.
56% : Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said charter schools are "a creation and creature of the state.
55% : That is true in the 46 states - plus the District of Columbia - where charter schools operate.
53% : The Supreme Court offered clear divisions Wednesday in a religious liberty case involving public education and whether religious charter schools can receive taxpayer funding.
52% : At one point, Roberts noted of the current dispute: "This does strike me as a much more comprehensive involvement," by the state than prior cases dealing with "fairly discrete" public money going to religious groups, such as tax breaks and private school tuition credits.
51% : In an unusual split within the Oklahoma government, the state's governor, head of public education, and the statewide charter school board are all backing St. Isidore.
50% : " Department of Education figures show about 4m illion schoolchildren - or 8% of the total - are enrolled in an estimated 7,800 charter schools, which operate with greater independence and autonomy than traditional public schools.
48% : The Supreme Court has previously said states may require public schools be secular, but also cannot prevent private religious institutions from public benefits and contracts.
44% : But others on the bench worried about government entanglement in approving some religious charter schools, and not others, potentially favoring one faith over another.
44% : " Justice Elena Kagan said contracts signed by schools like St. Isidore have basic requirements to meet state classroom standards, with state oversight.
43% : CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Six members of the current Supreme Court attended Catholic schools in their youth, and many of their own children attend or attended private schools, including religious-based institutions of learning.
40% : The issue now is whether those precedents apply to charter schools.
37% : " He has the backing of some GOP state lawmakers and parents' groups, who argue that funding parochial charter schools would drain resources from public education - especially in rural areas already struggling with limited funding.

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