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Page Number: 15

12 

ESPINOZA v. MONTANA DEPT. OF REVENUE 

Opinion of the Court 

based  discrimination  is  subject  to  “the  strictest  scrutiny.” 
Id., at ___ (slip op., at 11). 

None of this is meant to suggest that we agree with the
Department, Brief for Respondents 36–40, that some lesser 
degree  of  scrutiny  applies  to  discrimination  against  reli-
gious  uses  of  government  aid.  See  Lukumi,  508  U. S.,  at 
546  (striking  down  law  designed  to  ban  religious  practice 
involving alleged animal cruelty, explaining that a law “tar-
get[ing]  religious  conduct  for  distinctive  treatment  or  ad-
vanc[ing]  legitimate  governmental  interests  only  against 
conduct with a religious motivation will survive strict scru-
tiny only in rare cases”).  Some Members of the Court, more-
over,  have  questioned  whether  there  is  a  meaningful  dis-
tinction  between  discrimination  based  on  use  or  conduct 
and that based on status.  See Trinity Lutheran, 582 U. S., 
at  ___–___  (slip  op.,  at  1–2)  (GORSUCH,  J.,  joined  by
THOMAS,  J.,  concurring  in  part)  (citing,  e.g.,  Lukumi,  508 
U. S. 520, and Thomas v. Review Bd. of Ind. Employment 
Security Div., 450 U. S. 707 (1981)).  We acknowledge the 
point but need not examine it here.  It is enough in this case 
to  conclude  that  strict  scrutiny  applies  under  Trinity  Lu-
theran  because  Montana’s  no-aid  provision  discriminates 
based on religious status. 

B 
  Seeking to avoid Trinity Lutheran, the Department con-
tends that this case is instead governed by Locke v. Davey, 
540 U. S. 712 (2004).  See also post, at 5 (BREYER, J., dis-
senting); post, at 9 (SOTOMAYOR, J., dissenting).  Locke also 
involved a scholarship program.  The State of Washington
provided scholarships paid out of the State’s general fund 
to  help  students  pursuing  postsecondary  education.    The 
scholarships could be used at accredited religious and non-
religious schools alike, but Washington prohibited students 
from using the scholarships to pursue devotional theology
degrees,  which  prepared  students  for  a  calling  as  clergy.