Supreme Court on Religious Schools

“States can’t cut religious schools out of programs that send public money to private education, a divided Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.” (AP News)

“By a vote of 5-4, the justices ruled in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue that the state court’s interpretation of the Montana constitution violated the U.S. Constitution, which protects the free exercise of religion. States are not required to subsidize private education, Chief Justice John Roberts explained in his opinion for the majority. But if they opt to do so, they cannot exclude religious schools from receiving those funds simply because they are religious.” (SCOTUSblog)

The right applauds the decision as a victory for religious freedom and school choice.

The left sees the decision as a violation of the separation of church and state, and worries that it will lead to adverse consequences.