(Washington Times) The New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously ruled Wednesday that it’s a violation of the state constitution to award historic preservation grants to houses of worship.
The 7-0 decision reversed a lower court ruling that said church involvement in the program was permissible because the government used “neutral criteria” to determine grant recipients.
Diana Verm, an attorney for the nonprofit Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which filed an amicus brief in the case, said Wednesday’s ruling goes against last year’s Trinity Lutheran v. Comer decision, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states can’t bar religious institutions from participating in government aid programs.
