Supreme Court divided over approving first religious charter school

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that an air traffic controller who was called up to serve on active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard “during a national emergency” is entitled to have the government pay him the difference between his civilian salary and his military pay, without having to show that his service was connected to a specific emergency. 

By a vote of 5-4, the court rejected the government’s narrower interpretation of the law at issue in the case, which would make it harder for reservists like Coast Guard reservist Nick Feliciano to recover differential pay. The justices splintered in an unusual line-up, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor joining four of her more conservative colleagues – Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett – in the majority. 

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Thursday morning read:

• Supreme Court’s conservatives lean toward allowing country’s first religious public charter school (Lawrence Hurley, NBC News)
• Divided Supreme Court weighs effort to create nation’s first religious charter school (Melissa Quinn, CBS News)
• US Supreme Court resolves pay fight in favor of federal workers who also are military reservists (The Associated Press)
• The Supreme Court Could Unleash Chaos on the Economy (Ankush Khardori, Politico)
• Guns drawn, the FBI barged into the wrong house. Supreme Court justice calls it ‘ridiculous’ (Bart Jansen, USA Today)

The court will issue one or more opinions again this morning at 10 a.m. EDT. Join us for the live blog. The justices will then hear oral argument in a major dispute over attempts to open the nation’s first religious charter school. The court will consider whether a virtual Catholic charter school that would “fully embrace” the Catholic Church’s teachings can be established in Oklahoma.

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Wednesday morning read:

• Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to Religious Charter School in Oklahoma (Adam Liptak, The New York Times)
• Can charter schools be religious? If so, what does that mean for public education? (Nina Totenberg, NPR)
• Four questions in the Supreme Court arguments in birthright citizenship cases (Steve Vladeck, CNN)
• With Barrett recused, Supreme Court considers appeal over first religious charter school (Jordan Rubin, MSNBC)
• Supreme Court Should Allow Religious School In Charter Program (Kristen Waggoner, Bloomberg Law)

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled for the federal government in its dispute with a group of more than 200 hospitals over the formula used to identify and compensate hospitals that serve a large number of lower-income patients. The vote was 7-2, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett writing for the majority in a case that she described as “highly technical.” 

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor. She warned that the majority’s interpretation of the law at issue “will deprive hospitals serving the neediest among us of critical federal funds that Congress plainly attempted to provide.” 

We’re expecting one or more opinions from the court this morning at 10 a.m. EDT. Join us for the live blog. The court will then hear oral argument in Martin v. U.S., the case of an Atlanta couple whose home was mistakenly raided by an FBI SWAT team. They now ask the justices to decide whether they can sue the federal government for the error. In Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings v. Davis, the court will consider whether it is appropriate for a federal court to certify a class action for a class that includes plaintiffs who did not suffer any cognizable injury.

Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles and commentary related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Tuesday morning read:

• Supreme Court asks: Can FBI be held liable for raiding the wrong house? (Ann E. Marimow, The Washington Post)
• Supreme Court considers lawsuit arising from ‘wrong house’ FBI raid (Lawrence Hurley, NBC News)
• Supreme Court weighs whether law enforcement can be held accountable for raid on wrong house (Christina Gatti, NPR)
• US Supreme Court fight may shape Trump’s ability to fire Fed chair (John Kruzel, Reuters)
• The Bench Barometer: Ranking the Supreme Court’s Best Oral Advocates from the 2024 Term’s First Sitting (Adam Feldman, Legalytics)

Coming up: On Wednesday, April 30, the court expects to issue one or more opinions from the current term. Well be live at 9:45 a.m. EDT.