Funding religious degrees
Johnson v. A. Scott Fleming
In brief
- Where it stands
- Petition Pending
Awaiting an order on the petition
- What it’s about
- Cameron Johnson, Luke Thomas, and Trace Stevens say Virginia funds some religious degrees at Liberty University but not their chosen degrees, which they describe as materially similar.
- What's at stake
- The Supreme Court has not resolved whether Virginia may exclude the three petitioners’ chosen degrees from the grant program.
Summary: written with AI from the case record.
What it's about
They filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to review the dispute before the Fourth Circuit rules.
Johnson’s filing asks the Supreme Court to act before the Fourth Circuit issues its first ruling in the case.
Question presented
1. Whether the Religion Clauses allow governments to exclude some religious degrees while funding similar religious degrees in educational grant programs. 2. Whether this Court should overrule Locke.
What happens next
The petition was distributed for the Court’s Oct. 16, 2026, conference. The Court’s next step is to decide whether to hear it; distribution does not guarantee a decision on that date.
Documents
Docket activity
New analysis added
AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
Case data updated: summary, question_presented, generation_metadata
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Case data updated: documents, description, document_url, proceeding_type
Case data updated: documents, description, document_url, proceeding_type
Case data updated: documents, description, proceeding_type
Case data updated: documents, description, proceeding_type
Case data updated: documents, description, document_url, proceeding_type
Case data updated: documents, description, document_url, proceeding_type
Case data updated: documents, description, document_url, proceeding_type
More questions
- What questions does the petition raise?
- It asks whether the Religion Clauses allow governments to exclude some religious degrees while funding similar ones, and whether the Court should overrule Locke.
Sources
Primary materials plus reporting. Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.