The First Amendment is still a thing!
The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Maine can't exclude religious schools from a program that offers tuition aid for private education, a decision that could ease religious organizations' access to taxpayer money.
The 6-3 outcome could fuel a renewed push for school choice programs in some of the 18 states that have so far not directed taxpayer money to private, religious education. The most immediate effect of the court's ruling beyond Maine probably will be felt next door in Vermont, which has a similar program
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for a conservative majority that the program violates the Constitution's protections for religious freedoms.
"Maine's 'nonsectarian' requirement for its otherwise generally available tuition assistance payments violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. Regardless of how the benefit and restriction are described, the program operates to identify and exclude otherwise eligible schools on the basis of their religious exercise," Roberts wrote.
The court's three liberal justices dissented. "This Court continues to dismantle the wall of separation between church and state that the Framers fought to build," Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote.
A couple of prog reactions were totes predictable.
Where #SCOTUS is heading: all parents get vouchers and they can send their kids to public or parochial schools. "Separation of church and state" is a vanishing concept at the Supreme Court.
— Jeffrey Toobin (@JeffreyToobin) June 21, 2022
It appears Mr. Toobin, CNN's top legal analyst, doesn't...uh....grasp what this decision is all about. The fact of the matter is there are no public secondary schools in that area of Maine, hence their government implementing a tuition assistance program for private education. Yes, the Constitution prohibits government from establishing a state religion (which some label as "separation of church and state") but they also can't interfere with citizens' free exercise of religion. And that's how SCOTUS ruled.
Private Islamic schools and Jewish schools should open up all over Maine. The state has to fund you now so take advantage of it. Move your communities there as well. Let's see what the Supreme Court says...
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) June 21, 2022
I'm certain Mr. Ali believes he totally owned school choice advocates (specifically those of the Christian faith) with that take, but the vast majority (myself included) will find these terms acceptable. Perhaps he should reread Chief Justice Roberts' majority opinion to find out "what the Supreme Court says."
I'll leave you with this:
That’s just public school…
— Ross Schumann (@RossSchumann) June 21, 2022
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