April 4
A picture from my Supreme Court visit in November 2010. The ruling on one of the cases for which I saw oral arguments came in today.
Guess what: I didn’t like the outcome, really really don’t like the outcome. From the NPR story “A deeply divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that taxpayers have no legal right to challenge a tax break worth millions to donors supporting private religious schools. The 5-4 decision left intact an Arizona tax subsidy that was enacted because the state constitution forbids direct aid to religious schools.
“… Justice Elena Kagan, in a blistering dissent — her first dissent since joining the court — said Monday’s decision “devastates” the ability of taxpayers to challenge government actions that favor religion.
“In reality, she said, there is no difference between a tax credit and a direct appropriation. “What is a cash grant today can be a tax break tomorrow,” and the court’s decision, she charged, “offers a road map — more truly, just a one-step instruction — to any government that wishes to insulate its financing of religious activity from legal challenge.””
You can read more about it on the All Things Considered site for today’s broadcast.