Supreme Court Accepts Ohio School Voucher Case.

As Church & State went to press, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will decide whether voucher subsidies for religious schools are constitutional.

The justices have agreed to hear Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, a case concerning a controversial Ohio program that provides tax dollars for tuition at religious and other private schools in Cleveland. Oral arguments before the high court will occur later this year or early next with a decision to follow by July.

"This is probably the most important church-state case in the last half-century" said Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. "It will be a historic showdown over government funding of religion."

Lynn said it is vital for the high court to strike down the Ohio scheme. "Voucher programs force taxpayers to put money in the collection plates of churches," he said. "The court should never permit this to happen. The justices should uphold church-state separation and slam the door on this reckless scheme."

Two lower federal courts have declared the program unconstitutional. Last December, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that taxpayer funding of religious schools violates the separation of church and state.

Look for more details in the November issue of Church & State.