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Supreme Court Rules in Favor of State Funding for Religious Education

Masood Farivar

   WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the state of
   Montana's exclusion of religious schools from a tax credit program
   violates the U.S. Constitution.

   The ruling is an important victory for advocates of public funding for
   religious schools but a blow to opponents such as teachers' union
   officials who say it could lead to the defunding of public school
   systems.

   It also marks a win for the Trump Administration, which has elevated
   the cause of religious freedom and sided with three mothers who
   challenged Montana's ban on using publicly-funded scholarship funds for
   religious education.

   In a 5-4 decision, the high court held that the Montana rule
   "discriminated against religious schools and the families whose
   children attend or hope to attend them in violation" of religious
   liberties under the U.S. Constitution.

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