Supreme Court strikes down Maine law barring tuition aid for religious schools (AP)

The US Supreme Court has overturned a Maine law that prohibited the use of state funds to help pay tuition at religious schools.

In a 6-3 decision, the Court said that the Maine law violated the First Amendment because it “operates to identify and exclude otherwise eligible schools on the basis of their religious exercise.” The law, which provides funding for tuition assistance, had excluded the use of that funding to pay for religious schools.

The Supreme Court decision is a major victory for proponents of educational freedom; it is likely to cause a surge in support for programs that provide tuition funding for students, to be used as the schools of their choice.