Well, the liberal wing of the Supreme Court seems to be having a bit of a family feud, and it all went down Wednesday during oral arguments over Oklahoma’s push to create the first-ever taxpayer-funded Catholic charter school. What was supposed to be a united front on the Left turned into a judicial cold shoulder, as Justice Sonia Sotomayor sharply scolded fellow liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson in front of the entire court—and yes, the whole thing was caught on audio.
While the mainstream media may try to downplay it, here’s the reality: this was not a minor “oops” moment. It was a sharp interruption and a very public rebuke. As Jackson was questioning one of the attorneys—trying, of course, to press the narrative that religious education doesn’t deserve a dime of public funding—Sotomayor abruptly cut her off with a curt, “Just let him finish.” Oof. Cold.
It’s not every day you see two Democrat-appointed justices openly clashing like this, especially on a case involving religion and education—topics that usually unite the liberal bloc against any whiff of faith in the public square.
The case itself? It’s about St. Isadore of Seville Catholic Virtual School in Oklahoma, which wants to operate as a public charter school with a Catholic mission. If approved, it would receive taxpayer funding while teaching a religious curriculum. And naturally, that has the Left up in arms. Oklahoma’s own liberal Attorney General Gentner Drummond is arguing against it, claiming it somehow threatens religious liberty to allow religious schools the same public support as secular ones. Makes perfect sense—if you live in upside-down world.
But here’s the twist: the Constitution doesn’t require hostility toward religion. In fact, under the First Amendment, religious schools shouldn’t be excluded just because they’re religious. As Justice Brett Kavanaugh rightly pointed out, excluding Catholic schools from charter programs sounds an awful lot like “rank discrimination against religion.”
Justice Amy Coney Barrett has recused herself from the case, so the court’s decision could be tight. But make no mistake—this isn’t just about Oklahoma. It’s about whether religious Americans still have equal footing in the public square.
And judging by the liberal justices turning on each other, it looks like even they know the tide is turning. Stay tuned—this summer’s ruling could be a landmark moment for religious liberty.
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