Liberty University student fights for religious studies tuition grant
More opinions on the way
By Kelsey Dallas
May 21, 2026

Carved details along top of Supreme Court building are pictured
(Katie Barlow)
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Liberty University student fights for religious studies tuition grant
Liz Lykins, World
The Supreme Court could soon have an opportunity to revisit its 2004 ruling in
Locke v. Davey, in which it held that states do not violate the First Amendment when they prevent students seeking devotional degrees from participating in public scholarship programs. Bethany Hall, a Liberty University student who is challenging such scholarship restrictions in Virginia, recently lost before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, which cited the 2004 precedent in its ruling against her. Hall told
World magazine that she is hopeful that justices will take up her case and overturn the 2004 decision. Its just quite simply wrong and very sad that our Supreme Court made that decision back then, she said. Thats $20,000 that I just lost because Im studying what I feel like I should do with my life.
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