Ariz. Law on Private-School Scholarships Sparks Supreme Court Debate

The Supreme Court considered arguments Wednesday in a case challenging an Arizona law that allows residents to direct part of their income-tax payments to organizations that finance scholarships for students at religious schools, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal report.

The scholarship groups are allowed to support schools that only enroll students of a single faith. This provision prompted a group of Arizona taxpayers to sue, charging that the law effectively forced them to send their children to religious schools if they want to receive the state-subsidized scholarships.

The court’s more liberal members questioned whether the program amounts to a way for the state to support religious schools, while conservative justices likened it to the widely accepted practice of offering tax breaks for charitable contributions.