COLUMBUS–The U.S. Supreme Court issued a decisive victory for religious freedom and school choice this morning in a 6-3 ruling in the Carson v. Makin case.

The case revolved around a Maine school-choice program, similar to Ohio’s EdChoice scholarships, that allowed parents to access taxpayer dollars for private school tuition. However, unlike Ohio’s EdChoice program, Maine attempted to prohibit parents from using the program to attend a religious school.

Today, the Supreme Court, in an opinion by Chief Justice Roberts, ruled that the Maine statute violates the First Amendment Free Exercise of Religion.

The Chief Justice writes, “…there is nothing neutral about Maine’s program. The State pays tuition for certain students at private schools— so long as the schools are not religious. That is discrimination against religion. A State’s antiestablishment interest does not justify enactments that exclude some members of the community from an otherwise generally available public benefit because of their religious exercise.”

The following statement is from Troy McIntosh, Executive Director of the Ohio Christian Education Network:

“The U.S. Supreme Court has settled it once and for all: states cannot discriminate against Christian schools. All across Ohio, families have been blessed by amazing Christian schools that sacrificially serve their students. Today’s 6-3 decision sends a clear message that religious intolerance against these schools from state officials is in direct violation of First Amendment religious freedoms.

“This decision further settles the constitutionality of Ohio’s EdChoice Program which gives scholarships to families whose children either reside in a failing school district or are below a certain income level.

“Today’s opinion is especially good news for Center for Christian Virtue’s and the Ohio Christian Education Network’s effort to start Christian schools in churches throughout Ohio. There are hundreds if not thousands of churches that stand ready to help educate and disciple the next generation, and today’s decision from the Court leaves no doubt that their help is not just needed, but welcomed.

“Now is the time for the Ohio General Assembly to unleash the power of people of faith to serve children by passing the Backpack Bill and enabling every child to access the education that best meets his or her needs.”

Visit BackpackBill.com to learn more about the Backpack Bill and to contact your lawmaker to encourage them to provide school choice for all!

Read the court’s decision here.

For more information, contact CCV at 513-733-5775 or info@ccv.org.

As Ohio’s largest Christian public policy organization, Center for Christian Virtue seeks the good of our neighbors by advocating for public policy that reflects the truth of the Gospel.

###