The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the state of Maine may not bar religious schools from a tuition assistance program.The case involved a rule of Maine's Department of Education.The rule permits families who live in areas that do not have public schools to receive public money to send their children to a public or private school of their choosing.That program, however, bars the money from going to religious schools.Families that want to send their children to religious schools say the law violates their religious rights.In a 6-3 decision, the high court ruled that the Maine program violates the Constitution's protections for religious freedoms.Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, "The State pays tuition for certain students at private schools--so long as the schools are not religious. That is discrimination against religion."The court's three liberal justices disagreed with the majority decision."This Court continues to dismantle the wall of separation between church and state that the Framers fought to build," Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote.The ruling is the latest in a line of decisions from the Supreme Court that have favored religion-based discrimination claims.
