The Supreme Court deadlocked Thursday over the constitutionality of what would have been nation’s first public religious charter school, blocking the creation of a Catholic institution that would have reshaped American education and blurred the line between church and state.

The Supreme Court's justices blocked the creation of the nation's first religious charter school on May 22, reigniting ongoing debates about the separation of church and state in the United States. The justices' split 4-4 decision meant a lower court ruling would stand.

A divided 4-4 high court let stand an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling prohibiting the first religious public charter school in the U.S. Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself.