Illinois Bible Colleges Association, et al. v. Tom Cross, Chair of the Illinois Board of Higher Education

Illinois statutes require religious and secular colleges established after certain dates to obtain State approval before operating and granting degrees. Further, these laws mandate State evaluation of course content and faculty qualifications of religious colleges before determining whether such colleges can grant degrees. The questions presented are: Do religious colleges and seminaries have a constitutionally protected right to operate and grant religious degrees without prior State approval of their religious education and faculty? Does exempting some schools from regulation based solely on the date of their founding wrongly privilege older religious colleges over religious colleges more recently established?