Court Rules Religious Gifts OK in Wisc. Fund Drive
October 4, 2006 | Read Time: 1 minute
A program in Wisconsin that allows state employees to make donations by having the money deducted from their paychecks will have to allow gifts to religious charities, a federal judge has ruled, reports The Associated Press.
The ruling was the result of a lawsuit by the Association of Faith-Based Organizations, in Springfield, Va., which sued the state program because it required such groups to adopt an anti-discrimination policy to be eligible for gifts.
“Excluding a religious charitable organization . . . solely because that organization discriminates on the basis of religion or creed in choosing its governing board and employees is constitutionally impermissible,” U.S. District Judge John C. Shabaz wrote in a decision issued Friday.
