Taxpayer money may be spent on religious schooling, per a new ruling by the US Supreme Court. Tuesday, June 21, the justices ruled in Carson v. Makin on a Maine tuition program that pays for private schools when a student lives where no public secondary school is available. Chief Justice Roberts wrote for the Court, joined by Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett. Meanwhile, Justice Breyer filed a dissent, joined by Justices Kagan and Sotomayor in part, and Justice Sotomayor wrote separately in dissent.
The Court held that Maine could not discriminate against religious schools. The state gives vouchers to families of students without access to public schools. Then the state said the vouchers could not be used at religiously affiliated schools. That rule is now illegal per the Supreme Court’s ruling, which says:
Maine’s “nonsectarian” requirement for otherwise generally available tuition assistance payments to parents who live in school districts that do not operate a secondary school of their own violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.
This case was argued on December 8, and was one of five cases released on the 21st. The Court still hasn’t released the guns or abortion cases that top public interest. More cases are expected to be announced on Thursday, June 23rd.
