On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a major case that poses a baffling question: Does the Constitution compel states to fund explicitly Catholic education? In the past, the Supreme Court held that the First Amendment’s establishment clause forbids states from spending taxpayer dollars on religious instruction.

A Catholic Church in the US’s Oklahoma looks to use public money to fund an online charter school that “is faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ”. The Supreme Court is hearing the case to decide it the church can do so.

St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School would be the nation's first religious charter school. A ruling from the high court allowing public money to flow directly to a religious school almost certainly would lead to others.