Today, the Supreme Court made a decision in the Carson v. Makin case which will allow Maine taxpayers to fund religious schools. The Court’s ruling stated that discrimination based on the religious “status,” or identity, of a school violates the Free Exercise Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Two senior fellows at The Catholic Association, Ashley McGuire and Maureen Ferguson, reacted to the decision with public statements, included below.

“Today’s decision is a momentous victory for religious freedom and parents’ right to educate their children as they see fit. As our nation’s public schools have moved away from the fundamentals of reading, writing, and arithmetic towards sheer political indoctrination, more and more parents are seeking to opt out. Religious schools should be among the options available to them. The decision in Carson v. Makin makes clear that religious schools can participate in publicly available programs free from government discrimination, and paves the way for parents to be able to choose the best school for their children.”

-Maureen Ferguson, senior fellow with The Catholic Association

“Today’s ruling is another blow to bigoted and arcane anti-Catholic laws. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that parents want and deserve better school choices for their kids. Religious families, and even families that aren’t religious but see the value in faith-based schools, should not be cut out from programs that help parents make the best educational choice for their kids. Maine’s law and others like it especially hurt low-income children who suffer the most in failed schools. Today’s win helps to end anti-religious discrimination and expands sorely-needed school choice for low-income families.”

-Ashley McGuire, senior fellow with The Catholic Association