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.

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.

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.