January 24, 2002 | Read Time: 1 minute
A federal district court has ruled that the state of Wisconsin’s grants to an organization in Milwaukee that provides a faith-based alcohol- and drug-treatment program are unconstitutional.
Judge Barbara B. Crabb of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin said that money provided to Faith Works, Milwaukee, by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution. The clause prevents the government from promoting any religious doctrine or organization or affiliating itself with one — by giving “unrestricted, direct funding of an organization that engages in religious indoctrination.”
However, Judge Crabb said that the case did not involve a challenge to the constitutionality of the federal “charitable choice” statute, a 1996 welfare law that specifically invites churches and other religious groups to seek government money.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a Washington advocacy group, said that the court ruling was a “major blow” to President Bush’s efforts to promote faith-based programs in Congress.
But the Center for Public Justice, a Washington organization that supports Mr. Bush’s faith-based agenda, said the court decision did not slam the door on the president’s plans. “Judge Crabb’s decision is a warning that states must carefully adhere to the specific guidelines laid down by charitable choice,” the group said.
For a free copy of the 68-page opinion, go to the court’s Web site, http://www.wiwd.uscourts.gov.
