Johnson v. Fleming

Three Christian college students—including one guardsman in the Virginia National Guard—are excluded from participating in generally available state educational grant programs because Virginia officials decided their college programs were too religious.

Case Timeline

• May 2025: ADF attorneys filed a lawsuit challenging Virginia policies that deny tuition grants to students in programs deemed as “religious training or theological education.”
• March 2026: A federal district court dismissed the students’ claims related to VTAG, allowed certain claims related to VANGSTAP to proceed, and denied an injunction request as to both programs
• April 2026: ADF attorneys appealed the decision and also filed an emergency motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit to halt this religious discrimination.