Lawsuit Over Federal Aid to Religious Charities Goes to Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court will listen to arguments next week on a lawsuit that seeks to block federal spending on religious charities, Associated Press reports.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation, in Madison, Wis., has pursued the lawsuit as part of its efforts to promote the separation of church and state.

At issue is whether citizens can sue to stop the government from sending money to groups that promote religion.

“What’s at stake is the right to challenge the establishment of religion by the government,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, one of the founders of the foundation.

Critics say the group imposes such an extreme view of the First Amendment that it believes religious groups shouldn’t receive government money to provide any type of social service, regardless of whether the service has anything to do with religion.

“They are successful in the sense that they have disrupted government funding for faith-based initiatives,” said Jordan Lorence of the Alliance Defense Fund, a Scottsdale, Ariz., organization. “But real people with real problems are no longer getting help because of some of their lawsuits,” Mr. Lorence said.

(Free registration is required to view this article on the Chicago Tribune site.)