Sonia Sotomayor Accuses Conservatives of ‘Dismantling’ Separation of Church and State

Sonia Sotomayor , Accuses Conservatives of ‘Dismantling’ , Separation of Church and State.

'The Hill' reports that on June 21, the liberal Supreme Court justice made her accusations against the conservative majority.

Her comments were in response to the Supreme Court striking down a policy in Maine that kept religious schools from receiving tuition aid funded by taxpayers.

This Court continues to dismantle the wall of separation between church and state that the Framers fought to build, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court Justice, via 'The Hill'.

In just a few years, the Court has upended constitutional doctrine, shifting from a rule that permits States to decline to fund religious organizations to one that requires States in many circumstances to subsidize religious indoctrination with taxpayer dollars, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court Justice, via 'The Hill'.

'The Hill' reports that since many rural districts in Maine are without a public school, .

A workaround was implemented that would help students attend private schools with public assistance.

But private religious schools weren't eligible for the program, causing some Maine parents to file suit.

But private religious schools weren't eligible for the program, causing some Maine parents to file suit.

The conservative justices sided with the parents, stating that their constitutional religious protections were being violated.

Maine’s ‘nonsectarian’ requirement for its otherwise generally available tuition assistance payments violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.

, Majority Opinion, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, via 'The Hill'.

Regardless of how the benefit and restriction are described, the program operates to identify and exclude otherwise eligible schools on the basis of their religious exercise, Majority Opinion, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, via 'The Hill'