Florida Won't Enforce Ban on Public Funding for Religious Schools

Tallahassee, FL -- Florida's attorney general is taking a major step toward allowing public money to flow to religious institutions. Attorney General James Uthmeier issued a legal opinion Thursday declaring the state constitution's ban on funding religious institutions unconstitutional and says his office will not enforce it. The move could open the door to publicly funded religious charter schools and state scholarships for students attending Christian colleges. Uthmeier argues states are not bound by the federal Establishment Clause and can encourage religion. A deadlocked U.S. Supreme Court effectively upheld a similar ban on religious charter schools last year when it split 4-to-4 on an Oklahoma case.