The US Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the state of Maine may not exclude religious schools from a state tuition program.

The 6-3 ruling was the latest decision by the court that has increasingly favoured the role of religion in public life.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing for the majority, said the ruling did not require states to support religious education. But states that choose to subsidise private schools, he added, may not discriminate against religious ones.

Michael Bindas, a lawyer with the Institute for Justice, which represented the families challenging Maine’s program, said the court’s decision on Tuesday was a major step for religious schools to receive the same kind of government aid as other private schools.

“Today’s decision makes clear, once and for all, that the government may not bar parents from selecting religious schools within educational choice programs,” he said.