Friday, May 16, 2008

10th Circuit Hears Oral Arguments In College Aid Case

On Wednesday the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in Colorado Christian University v. Baker, a case challenging Colorado's exclusion of "pervasively sectarian institutions" from its tuition assistance programs for low-income students attending colleges and universities in the state. The district court upheld the exclusion. (See prior posting.) Wednesday's Denver Post reports that judges questioned counsel on the state's purpose in enacting the exclusion and asked whether the exclusion might pressure religious institutions to change their policies in order to participate in the programs. [Thanks to Blog from the Capital for the lead.]