Late last month, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Espinoza v. Montana Dep’t of Revenue, a case on the constitutionality of a Montana school-choice program that allows parents to direct state-funded scholarships to religiously affiliated schools. The Montana Supreme Court ruled that the program violated the state constitution’s “Blaine Amendment,” which prohibits the appropriation of public money for “sectarian” institutions, including private, religiously affiliated schools. Petitioners argue that barring them from scholarships, simply because they plan to use the money at religiously affiliated schools, violates the Free Exercise Clause of the federal constitution.

In this episode, we review the facts of Espinoza and analyze last month’s oral argument. What concerns did the Justices raise and how did counsel respond? We also speculate what the Justices’ questions suggest about the ultimate outcome of the case. Listen in!

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