In the case Carson v. Makin, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Maine may not exclude religious schools from a state tuition aid program, saying that doing so is unconstitutional. The program allows parents in rural areas without public high schools to receive state assistance to cover tuition costs at "nonsectarian" schools in other communities.
In the 6-3 opinion, with the court's three liberal justices in dissent, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that Maine's program "operates to identify and exclude otherwise eligible schools on the basis of their religious exercise."
In her dissent, Justice Sotomayor said, "This Court continues to dismantle the wall of separation between church and state that the Framers fought to build."
References
- Syllabus in Carson v. Makinsupremecourt.gov
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