Supreme Court opens door to state funding for religious schools

[brooklynite]

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN)In a ruling that will open the door to more public funding for religious education, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled in favor of parents in Montana seeking to use a state scholarship program to send their children to religious schools.

The court said that a Montana tax credit program that directed money to private schools could not exclude religious schools.

The 5-4 ruling was penned by Chief Justice John Roberts and joined by the court's four conservative justices.

"A State need not subsidize private education. But once a State decides to do so, it cannot disqualify some private schools solely because they are religious," Roberts wrote in the majority opinion.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/30/politics/espinoza-montana-religious-schools-scholarship-supreme-court/index.html

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Is the USSC saying that if ALL private schools were banned from receiving this state funding,

religious schools could be excluded?

[William Seger]

3. I think so

[Coleman]

5. Sounds like it

Were there any dissents? I'd like to see it/them to compare arguments. Though I hate giving any money to religious schools, the majority's argument seems legit. I actually hate any money going to any type of private schools.

[blaze]

11. Link to decision (pdf)

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/19pdf/18-1195_g314.pdf

[no_hypocrisy]

22. Therefore the Equal Protection Clause in the 14th Amendment "trumps"

the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment.

[Steelrolled]

29. Probably as long as the school funding does not act as an establishment of religion.

Other secular countries that fund religious schools have certain conditions regarding curriculum, etc., and if a school met the conditions, it could get funding.

[BlueIdaho]

2. Here come the completely indefensible SC rulings...

Hold on to your hats.

[Iliyah]

4. Again, will the state scholarship program allow scholarships . .

to students who want to attention a religious school of their choice which is non-Christian?

[Coleman]

9. Maybe the Satanic Temple or humanist group would like to see

if funding is available to any religion.

[BComplex]

14. Now THAT might change things!

[njhoneybadger]

18. Exactly

[LeftInTX]

27. Now it will

A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday endorsed a Montana tax incentive program that indirectly helps private religious schools, a major victory for those who want to see more public funding of religious institutions.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing for a conservative majority in the 5-to-4 ruling, said the Montana Supreme Court was wrong to strike down the program because of a provision in the state constitution that forbids public funds from going to religious institutions. The U.S. Constitution’s protection of religious freedom prevails, he said.

“A state need not subsidize private education,” Roberts wrote. “But once a state decides to do so, it cannot disqualify some private schools solely because they are religious.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-says-montana-program-aiding-private-schools-must-be-open-to-religious-schools/2020/06/30/4d0af7e6-bad7-11ea-bdaf-a129f921026f_story.html

I found it interesting that Montana does not allow public funding for any religious institution. Mainly because there are many charitable foundations and non-profits that are religious based. (Catholic hospitals are the first that comes to mind)

[CaptainTruth]

37. I may get flamed for this, but based on my understanding, I agree with this decision. Here's why...

As I understand it (& of course I could be wrong) the case involved a state giving funds (like a grant or credit) to students which they could use to attend a private school.

As it was, students were told they couldn't use those funds if they attended a religious private school. SCOTUS ruled that if the state is going to give a student a grant/credit they can use while attending a private school, they should be able to use it at any school they choose, regardless of religious orientation (or not).

To me, that is very different from the state giving funding to religious schools, to me that crosses the separation of church & state line. As I understand this case, students were given a grant or credit & they chose where to attend school, it might be a religious school, it might not. SCOTUS ruled that students & families should have that choice, & I agree.

IMHO if the state doesn't like the fact that some of their grants/credits are helping students attend private religious schools, they can end the grant/credit program & spend more money on public education, which desperately needs it.

[walkingman]

6. The dumbing down of America will accelerate and the religious influence of State politicians

will be huge. The greedy bastards once again declare victory.

[ancianita]

7. So it's up to states to decide. Where 90% of public education funding is, anyway.

[Laelth]

8. Vomit.

It’s a 5-4 ruling. It may take a few years, but this ruling SHOULD be overturned.

-Laelth

[Cartaphelius]

10. Time to turn off the spigot. NOW!

Religion is not to be financially supported by tax payer dollars.

To do so is a violation of the Constitution. Always has been
despite the efforts of the religions and their contrarian
lobbyists and political whores on the right. All in an effort
to needlessly give away our tax payer funds to the rich.

[ancianita]

12. That's got to be decided state by state, since education isn't a fundamental constitutional right.

States have always had the responsibility of how they educate their citizens. Each state has always been able decide its funding priorities, and might or might not have given its taxes (or a tax deduction) to religious schools. This widens the door a little bit more for those states that do.

Bush's Faith Based Intitiative can be challenged, however. Obama backed it, too, since churches would use the money for general community services. That was the requirement.

[Cartaphelius]

40. Actually, the Constitution

defines the Rights of the States. From day one, specifically,
organized religions were denied federal financial support
by the Constitution.

This clearly separated government from ANY and ALL involvement
with any religion whatsoever. A position in which the white, Christian's
have assailed and wrestled to the ground long enough to justify
religions to plunder tax payer funds to support their world wide
expansion of hatred of non-Christian, non-whites across time and the
globe unchecked.

[rzemanfl]

16. It already is supported by taxes. Show me the real estate tax bill on some church and

I will edit this post.

[csziggy]

31. Private schools should not be funded by taxpayer dollars!

Especially at the cost of under funding public schools.

[Coventina]

13. Get your FUCKING CHURCH out of my government!!

[bucolic_frolic]

15. I bet if you started a Druid school it would get defunded quickly on the basis of religion /nt

[samsingh]

17. let's see what the evangicals say when other religions start applying for the same funding

[angrychair]

19. If a religious school

Benefits from tax payer dollars than they also have to pay taxes and they must comply with federal hiring and labor laws in not discriminating against PoC, handicap, sexual orientation, gender identity and country of origin.

[Politicub]

25. Is that what the opinion of the court says? I haven't had a chance to read it.

Or, are you saying that's what the policy should be?

[angrychair]

28. What it should be

The opinion does not speak to those points unfortunately.

[stopbush]

20. In essence, the government will fund the teaching of make-believe (religion) as if it were factual.

And that's a good thing?

Is it any wonder people don't believe scientists and actual experts when the government treats their fantasies as being on the same level as reality?

[jalan48]

21. Roberts throws a bone to right wing identity politics.

[spudspud]

30. Bingo. /nt

[totodeinhere]

23. Roberts is turning out to be the swing vote on the Court. He voted with the liberals on a couple of

important cases lately but not this time. I guess this is a reminder that while he can see the light on occasion he is more often than not a conservative vote on the Court.

[Politicub]

24. I will never be okay with my tax dollars going to schools that actively discriminate against LGBTQ

There's a movement among conservatives to subsidize religion, and I refuse to get used to it.

[TreasonousBastard]

26. Hold on. I don't doubt this crosses a line somewhere, but state/federal funding for...

nonreligious aspects of religious schools has always been around.

Some of these schools infuse things like sports and dance class with religion, but I went to Martin Luther High School in the '60s and after Sputnik shook us up, we were, like just about every school in the country, gifted with brand new science labs and some cash to hire teachers. We got fully stocked bio, chem, and physics labs that were extremely popular. We also got 50 Selectric typewriters for a typing lab.

The idea was to spark science education, and we had to keep religion out of it. The bio classes were allowed to not teach evolution, but they couldn't rip the pages out of the texts or forbid us from reading them. Or talk abut it.

The Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations pushed these programs, Congress and the peolpe were pretty solidly behind them. It was education, not religion, that was being pushed.

Yes, I understand times are different now, and religion is taking precedence over science in too many quarters, but I am not so sure about a backlash that could hurt the education part.

[sinkingfeeling]

32. Then we should demand our tax dollars only support public education.

[ibegurpard]

39. Exactly

[roamer65]

33. So the solution is to pull all state funding from private schools.

I have NO problem with that approach.

The states should only be funding public education.

[pfitz59]

34. No state funds to any private school

problem solved

[Cryptoad]

35. Smells like Corporate Socialism to me,,,,

[turbinetree]

36. Bullshit...................

our public tax dollars should not be funding private education ...............period............

[Cartaphelius]

41. Agreed.

To do so breeds the contempt we witness daily of those
that don't believe in science because their "religion"
forbids it.

[ibegurpard]

38. The rationale behind this is kind of hard to deny

Based on what Roberts said... if taxpayer funds are OKd for private schools how can you exclude religious ones?
Taxpayer funds shouldnt be going to private schools. Period.
It has decimated public education. Looking at you charter schools...