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Page Number: 13.0

10 

ESPINOZA v. MONTANA DEPT. OF REVENUE 

Opinion of the Court 

the basis of religious status.  A plurality declined to address 
discrimination with respect to “religious uses of funding or 
other forms of discrimination.”  582 U. S., at ___, n. 3 (slip 
op., at 14, n. 3).  The plurality saw no need to consider such
concerns  because  Missouri  had  expressly  discriminated 
“based on religious identity,” ibid., which was enough to in-
validate  the  state  policy  without  addressing  how  govern-
ment funds were used. 

This case also turns expressly on religious status and not 
religious use.  The Montana Supreme Court applied the no-
aid  provision  solely  by  reference  to  religious  status.    The 
Court repeatedly explained that the no-aid provision bars
aid to “schools controlled in whole or in part by churches,”
“sectarian schools,” and “religiously-affiliated schools.”  393 
Mont.,  at  463–467,  435  P. 3d,  at  611–613.    Applying  this
provision  to  the  scholarship  program,  the  Montana  Su-
preme  Court  noted  that  most  of  the  private  schools  that 
would benefit from the program were “religiously affiliated” 
and “controlled by churches,” and the Court ultimately con-
cluded that the scholarship program ran afoul of the Mon-
tana  Constitution  by  aiding  “schools  controlled  by
churches.”  Id.,  at  466–467,  435  P. 3d,  at  613–614.    The 
Montana Constitution discriminates based on religious sta-
tus just like the Missouri policy in Trinity Lutheran, which 
excluded  organizations  “owned  or  controlled  by  a  church,
sect, or other religious entity.”  582 U. S., at ___ (slip op., at 
2).

The Department points to some language in the decision 
below indicating that the no-aid provision has the goal or 
effect of ensuring that government aid does not end up be-
ing used for “sectarian education” or “religious education.”
393 Mont., at 460, 466–467, 435 P. 3d, at 609, 613–614.  The 
Department  also  contrasts  what  it  characterizes  as  the 
“completely  non-religious”  benefit  of  playground  resurfac-
ing in Trinity Lutheran with the unrestricted tuition aid at