Judge to rule on vouchers' legality within 30 days

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indianapolis judge says he'll decide within 30 days whether Indiana's sweeping new school voucher law violates the state's constitution.

Marion Superior Court Judge Michael Keele heard about two hours of arguments Monday in a lawsuit filed by a group of teachers and religious leaders backed by the Indiana State Teachers Association. The lawsuit claims the law enacted earlier this year violates the state constitution by providing public money to religious institutions.

The state contends the voucher system is legal because the state isn't directly funding parochial schools. Instead, it gives scholarship vouchers to parents, who can choose where to use them. Attorneys liken that to using state-funded scholarships at religious colleges.

Keele declined to block the law in August.

Indiana's voucher program is the nation's most expansive.