WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court blocked the creation of the nation's first religious charter school on May 22, reigniting debates about the separation of church and state in the United States.

WASHINGTON − A divided Supreme Court on Thursday blocked the creation of the nation's first religious charter school, a major loss for those advocating a greater role for religion in public life.

With only eight justices voting, the 4-4 tie leaves in place an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that a public religious charter school would violate the separation of church and state.