Americans United Condemns Supreme Court Ruling Dismissing Challenge To State Aid To Arizona Religiou

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April 4, 2011
Church-State Watchdog Group Says Obama Administration Betrayed Public Education By Taking Wrong Side In Important School-Funding Case

Americans United for Separation of Church and State today criticized a U.S. Supreme Court ruling dismissing a challenge to tax aid to religious schools in Arizona.

In a 5-4 ruling, the high court today turned back a legal challenge to an Arizona scheme that allows taxpayers to take a 100 percent credit for donations to “school tuition organizations” that fund religious and other private schools. The court said the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the case.

“This misguided ruling betrays the public school system by directing tax dollars to religious schools,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case. “The court, with the full support of the Obama administration, has slammed the courthouse door in the face of Americans who don’t want their tax dollars to subsidize religion.”

Under the controversial program, nearly 92 percent of the funds collected have gone for tuition at religious schools. Taxpayers challenged the plan as a violation of church-state separation.

The Obama administration not only argued in favor of the Arizona funding scheme, it advocated denying taxpayers’ right to challenge the program in court. Furthermore, the Solicitor General’s Office at the U.S. Department of Justice requested and was granted 10 minutes to argue in favor of the plan during oral argument before the justices.

Supreme Court Opinion: (PDF) http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/10pdf/09-987.pdf

Story: http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2011/04/au-condemns-supreme-court.html