MINNEAPOLIS — A federal judge has ruled that religious colleges requiring students to sign a statement of faith cannot be excluded from a significant Minnesota program that allows high schoolers to earn college credits. This decision comes after the judge deemed a state law unconstitutional, violating the principle of religious freedom.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel delivered the ruling on Friday, marking a significant victory for two conservative Christian institutions: Crown College, located in St. Bonifacius, and the University of Northwestern in Roseville. These colleges mandate that students adhere to their faith-based values and conduct standards, effectively limiting participation from those who identify as non-Christian or LGBTQ+.

The law in question, passed in 2023, was supported by the Minnesota Department of Education and advocates for LGBTQ+ rights. Proponents argued that the law was essential to protect high school students who do not identify as Christian, straight, or cisgender from potential discrimination in accessing educational opportunities.

Since its inception 40 years ago, the Postsecondary Enrollment Options program has allowed high school students to take college courses for free at public or private institutions, contingent upon the courses being nonsectarian. To date, around 60,000 students have benefited from this initiative.

Attempts to exclude faith-based colleges from the program began in earnest in 2019, but the law was only enacted following a shift in political control in the Minnesota Legislature in 2023. In this climate, the Democrat-led initiative sought to broaden protections for LGBTQ+ individuals as part of a comprehensive education funding bill.

In response to the law, a group of parents and students advocating for their faith-based educational choices filed a lawsuit, claiming that the new restrictions on religious colleges infringed upon their First Amendment rights.

Represented by The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the plaintiffs welcomed the ruling. Senior Counsel Diana Thomson remarked that the ruling safeguards the educational opportunities for students wishing to attend religious institutions and serves as a critique of governmental overreach into personal beliefs.

The office of the Minnesota Attorney General directed inquiries regarding the ruling to the Department of Education, which had not yet provided a public response.

Judge Brasel emphasized the need for the court to navigate the complex relationship between religion and publicly funded education. She underscored that while states are not obligated to subsidize private education, once they opt to do so, they cannot deny institutions the opportunity simply due to their religious affiliations.

In addition to declaring the requirement for a faith statement unconstitutional, the judge also invalidated a related nondiscrimination clause aimed at regulating admissions based on characteristics such as gender and sexual orientation.

Both sides previously agreed that the enforcement of this law would be put on hold while the case proceeded through the courts. Notably, in the academic year from 2017 to 2023, the University of Northwestern received over $33 million through the Postsecondary Enrollment Options program, with Crown College benefiting nearly $6 million during this period.

This ruling follows a broader pattern of judicial challenges; just days earlier, another judge deemed another recent legislative measure unconstitutional, further signaling the ongoing contention in Minnesota’s political and legal landscape regarding educational rights and religious freedoms.