Dispute Between Church and State Spills Onto Playground

The United States Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in a case from Missouri that could have a significant impact on state funding of religious schools. The Conversation

The case involved a church in Missouri, the Trinity Lutheran Church, that had applied for state grants to purchase recycled tire material to refurbish its playground. The state declined the request due to a state constitutional provision that forbids funding for religious institutions, including schools.

The case raises some important questions. A particularly important one is whether denying state funding to religious schools under a program generally open to nonreligious schools is unconstitutional.