A federal judge has slammed the gavel on Minnesota’s attempt to exclude conservative Christian colleges from a decades-old tuition program. U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel, appointed by President Donald Trump, ruled that the state’s 2023 law targeting religious schools violates constitutional protections, as Just the News reports. This decision is a stinging rebuke to progressive overreach.
For 40 years, Minnesota’s Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program has funded high school students’ tuition and textbooks at both public and private colleges, including religious ones like Crown College and the University of Northwestern St. Paul. A 2023 law changed that, barring colleges requiring “faith statements” or adherence to traditional views on sexuality and gender identity from participating. It’s a clear jab at institutions holding fast to biblical values.
Crown College and the University of Northwestern St. Paul, established in 1916 and 1902, respectively, have long benefited from PSEO, receiving roughly $39 million over six years. The state’s new restriction threatened to cut them off, leaving families like Melinda and Mark Loe, who relied on PSEO for their kids, in the lurch. Minnesota’s progressive agenda seemed poised to punish belief-driven education.
Judge Brasel’s summary judgment favored the colleges and parents, declaring the law’s “Faith Statement Ban” unconstitutional. She argued it violates the Free Exercise Clause of the U.S. Constitution and Minnesota’s Freedom of Conscience Clause. The state’s attempt to police religious admissions practices got a well-deserved smackdown.
“The Faith Statement Ban is unconstitutional,” Brasel wrote, noting it’s “inseverable” from the law’s nondiscrimination clause. This ruling exposes the law as a clumsy overreach, tying legitimate nondiscrimination goals to an attack on religious liberty. Progressives’ obsession with control tripped over its own legal shoelaces.
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) lobbied for four years to tighten PSEO eligibility, pushing for restrictions that targeted religious institutions. Their top lobbyist even helped squash a milder proposal with broad nondiscrimination language. It’s as if MDE wanted to flex its muscle against faith-based schools specifically.
MDE’s campaign culminated in pressuring Gov. Tim Walz to sign the 2023 omnibus education bill with the restrictive language. The absence of a severability clause in the law left it vulnerable, as Brasel noted, making the entire restriction shaky. Minnesota’s lawmakers gambled and lost, leaving their agenda in tatters.
The colleges, exempt from the Minnesota Human Rights Act as religious entities, have always admitted eligible LGBTQ+ students willing to affirm their faith statements. MDE never cited any discrimination against admitted students, only challenging the admissions process itself. This smells like a solution in search of a problem.
Attorney General Keith Ellison, perhaps sensing the legal quicksand, agreed not to enforce the law while the case proceeds. His retreat suggests even progressive stalwarts know when they’re outmatched. The courts aren’t always a playground for woke experiments.
Families like the Loes and Dawn Erickson, who planned to use PSEO for their younger children, can now breathe easier. They relied on the program to access quality education aligned with their values. Minnesota’s attempt to strong-arm them into secular options has been soundly rejected.
“This ruling is a win for families who won’t be strong-armed into abandoning their beliefs,” said Diana Thomson, senior counsel at Becket. Her words underscore the victory for parental choice against bureaucratic overreach. The state’s heavy-handed tactics just got a reality check.
Minnesota’s PSEO program has long ensured courses are nonsectarian, with MDE reviewing offerings for dual-credit eligibility. Rejections only occur for sectarian content or reporting issues, not admissions policies. The state’s sudden focus on faith statements feels like a targeted hit job.
Since 1955, Minnesota has allowed tax deductions for educational expenses at public and nonpublic schools, showing a history of supporting diverse education options. The 2023 law’s departure from this tradition reeks of ideological bias. It’s no wonder the courts stepped in to restore balance.
The ruling protects the right of religious colleges to maintain their identity while participating in public programs. Forcing them to abandon faith-based admissions is a coercive tactic straight out of the progressive playbook. Thankfully, Judge Brasel called foul.
This decision sends a message: states can’t disguise ideological crusades as nondiscrimination policies. Minnesota’s failed experiment should make other progressive strongholds think twice before targeting religious institutions. Faith and freedom just scored a major win.
