(The Post and Courier Greenville)—A group of Christian schools in South Carolina submitted a friend of the court brief in support of a recent federal lawsuit that calls for a revision of the state’s constitutional ban on public funds for private schools.
The S.C. Association of Christian Schools on April 26 filed an amicus brief in support of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston, which operates 33 private schools with more than 7,000 students, and co-plaintiffs, the 20 members of S.C. Independent Colleges and Universities, according to a statement from The Liberty Justice Center. The amicus brief from SCACS adds 69 schools to the call for constitutional change in the Palmetto State.
An attorney for the Liberty Justice Center, Daniel Suhr, is lead counsel for the plaintiffs.
“Their brief adds momentum to our case and proves yet again why a federal court must act to end a century of legalized discrimination,” Suhr said in a statement.
Proponents of change say provisions in the S.C. Constitution that ban public money for religious and other private schools trace back to an anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic and racist movement in the 19th century. So-called “Blaine amendments,” named after Maine politician James G. Blaine, that ban state money to religious institutions made their way into dozens of state constitutions. Proponents for constitutional change also argue private schools often provide services that public schools cannot or will not.
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