Quote:Arlington, Va.— In a major victory for Big Sky families, the Flathead County District Court has ruled that the Montana Department of Revenue made a “mistake of law” when it tried to exclude students attending religious schools from the state’s school choice program. As a result, the program is now returned to the way the state Legislature intended—allowing all low-income families to apply for scholarships to attend the private school of their choice, regardless of whether their chosen school is religious or secular. In December 2016, the Institute for Justice and three families who want to apply for scholarships under the program filed a lawsuit against the Department of Revenue.

“The court recognized that it is perfectly constitutional for the Legislature to create this program for families who wish to send their children to any private school, not just nonreligious schools,” said Dick Komer, a senior attorney at the Institute for Justice.