The state of Virginia told a Liberty University student she couldn’t receive financial aid. Why? Because she chose to pursue a “Music and Worship” degree.
That’s illegal and unconstitutional. And that’s why First Liberty joined the National Legal Foundation and others in filing a petition this week asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Bethany’s case.
Bethany Hall applied for the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant Program, which offers students up to $5,000 per school year. However, the program specifically excludes “religious training or theological education.”
When Bethany’s major was just “Music Education,” she qualified. But when she changed her major to “Music & Worship,” the state said she was no longer eligible.
“Excluding students from a state scholarship or grant simply because their choice of major is religious is discriminatory,” said Jeremy Dys, Senior Counsel for First Liberty.
Bethany is simply asking for the same freedom every other student enjoys: the right to choose her course of study.
“It is odious to our Constitution for a state to fund a degree in music but refuse to fund a degree in music & worship,” said Steven Fitschen of National Legal Foundation and lead counsel on the case.
“The Free Exercise clause is meant to encourage and even prefer religion. But Virginia’s decision to deny funding based upon religious use is the type of hostility toward religion rejected by the First Amendment,” he continued.
Winning this case would ensure that Bethany can study and follow a career path that’s aligned with her divinely inspired calling. Plus, the case presents the Supreme Court with an opportunity to reverse a 2004 decision that state-funded scholarship programs can exclude students pursuing degrees in religious studies.
If that ruling is overturned, it would be a win for religious liberty of students across America.
Why judicial independence matters to every person of faith; Florida remains a national leader on religious freedom; Freedom FROM religion?
