When the foundation of a house is attacked, the whole structure trembles. In Minnesota, something fundamental to American liberty came under assault when state bureaucrats decided that religious institutions hindered their progressive vision. The target wasn’t just brick-and-mortar buildings or dusty theology textbook: it was the very right of families to choose education that aligns with their deepest convictions.

For forty years, Minnesota’s Postsecondary Enrollment Options program operated as intended, allowing high school students to earn college credits at institutions of their choice, including faith-based schools. This wasn’t controversial; it was common sense. Religious colleges like Crown College and the University of Northwestern-St. Paul served thousands of Minnesota families, receiving millions in state funding through the program.

These institutions weren’t hiding their mission—they openly required students to share their religious values, just as they had for decades.

But something shifted in 2023. When Democrats gained control of both houses of the Minnesota legislature, they finally achieved what the state’s Department of Education had been attempting since 2019: the systematic exclusion of religious schools from public programs.

The new amendment banned any institution requiring a “faith statement” from participating in PSEO, forcing religious colleges into an impossible choice: abandon your core beliefs or lose access to public benefits your students’ families help fund through their taxes.

The Constitutional Reckoning

Last Friday, that progressive overreach met its match in the form of U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel, a Trump appointee who understood what Minnesota’s politicians apparently forgot: the First Amendment still means something. Her ruling was unequivocal and devastating to the state’s discriminatory scheme.

From ‘Daily Caller’:

“If the Schools’ eligibility to participate in PSEO is conditioned on not using faith statements as an admissions requirement, their free exercise in maintaining a campus community of like‐minded believers is burdened.

Likewise, if the Families cannot obtain the public benefit of PSEO reimbursement for their children at a school of their choice of like‐minded believers, their free exercise is also burdened. The Faith Statement Ban is unconstitutional on its face under the Free Exercise Clause.”

The judge didn’t mince words, ordering the discriminatory amendments “stricken in its entirety.” This wasn’t just a technical legal victory; it was a fundamental rejection of the idea that government can weaponize public benefits to force religious institutions into ideological compliance.

The Real Agenda Exposed

Minnesota’s Department of Education tried to dress up their discrimination in the language of inclusion, arguing they were protecting students who “are not Christian, straight and cisgender.” But this transparent attempt to pit civil rights against religious freedom fooled no one, least of all Judge Brasel. The state wasn’t protecting anyone; in fact, they were punishing religious families for their beliefs.

Diana Thomson from the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, who represented the families and schools, called Minnesota’s actions both “unlawful” and “shameful.” She characterized the ruling as “a sharp warning to politicians who target” religious families.

You have to wonder: do these bureaucrats even read the Constitution they swore to uphold?

Look, these aren’t abstract constitutional principles. The human cost becomes clear in the words of Mark and Melinda Loe, parents who fought back: “We raise our children to put their faith at the center of their lives. Minnesota tried to take that right away from us.” These are real families facing real consequences when government decides their beliefs make them second-class citizens.

Here’s what really gets me, though: this victory reveals something larger about our current moment. The left’s hostility toward religious education isn’t random or isolated—it’s systematic and intentional. I’ll say what others won’t: they understand that independent religious institutions represent a threat to their monopoly on shaping young minds.

When parents can choose schools that reinforce their values rather than undermine them, the progressive project of cultural transformation loses its captive audience. And that terrifies them.

But here’s what gives me hope: our constitutional system, when properly defended by judges who understand their role, still works. Every Trump-appointed judge who stands up for religious liberty represents a guardian at the gate, protecting freedoms that previous generations took for granted.

And I’ll tell you something else—this Minnesota ruling isn’t just a win for a few Christian colleges. It’s a reminder that the war on faith can be fought and won, one courtroom at a time. The left thought they could quietly strangle religious education while nobody was watching. They were wrong.

Key Takeaways

• Trump-appointed judge strikes down Minnesota’s ban on religious colleges in state programs
• Christian families won’t be forced to choose between faith and educational benefits
• Democrats’ 2023 power grab to exclude religious schools ruled unconstitutional
• Victory signals that targeting faith-based institutions carries legal consequences

Sources: The Daily Caller, Fox News, Christian Post