On Tuesday, a legal battle in Maine moved to the federal court of appeals in Boston, bringing a fight over public funding in religious schools one step closer to the United States Supreme Court. The question at the heart of both cases is,

Crosspoint Church, which runs Bangor Christian School, says they would have to compromise their religious beliefs in order to qualify for public funding.

Crosspoint Church in Bangor and St. Dominic Academy in Auburn asked the federal court in Boston to stop a Maine law that prevents some private religious schools from receiving public funds.

Two religious schools in Maine are appealing a federal court decision that requires them to adhere to the state’s nondiscrimination law to receive public funding. Last year, both Crosspoint Church, which operates Bangor Christian Schools,

Two religious schools from Maine argued in federal court on Tuesday against the state’s anti-discrimination law, which they say infringes on their constitutional right to free exercise of religion. To what extent Maine can allow religious schools to follow their practices — many of which uphold traditional Christian values and can be inherently exclusionary to