Supreme Court Rules Maine Can't Exclude Religious Schools from Tuition Aid Program

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that Maine cannot exclude religious schools from its state tuition aid program.

In a 6-3 opinion, chief Justice John Roberts concluded that the program violated the First Amendment because it "operates to identify and exclude otherwise eligible schools on the basis of their religious exercise." The case, Carson v. Makin, stemmed from two families in Maine who wanted to send their children to sectarian religious schools but were denied tuition assistance payments from the state. The Supreme Court came to a similar verdict in the 2020 Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue case, which concluded that states cannot exclude religious schools from receiving taxpayer aid if they decide to subsidize private education.

Reports from across the spectrum noted that this ruling will have "greater implications" as the "more conservative" Supreme Court continues to further reduce the separation of church and state. Left-rated outlets were more likely to note that the "unusual" program in question "affects only a few thousand students." NPR (Lean Left bias) and other left-rated outlets emphasized that the ruling will "likely provoke other legal problems" given that the aforementioned religious institutions in Maine "candidly admit that they discriminate against" the LGBTQ+ community and non-Christians. Conversely, right-rated outlets were more likely to accentuate faith leaders who argued that the court decision "ensures a fairer future for all people of faith." CNSNews.com (Right bias) and other rated-outlets noted that Maine has "limited" its tuition assistance payment to "nonsectarian schools" since 1981.