Court Rules: Americorps Violated Church and State Relations

July 6, 2004

Source: AP

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=513&ncid=718&e=10&u=/ap/

On July 6, 2004 AP reported, "The federal agency that oversees AmeriCorps must stop financing programs that place volunteers in Catholic schools, a judge has ruled, saying it unconstitutionally crosses the line between church and state. U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler sided with the American Jewish Congress, which argued that federal money was being used improperly to pay for teaching of Christian values through programs such as the University of Notre Dame's Alliance for Catholic Education. Kessler's decision late Friday was posted on the court's Web site Tuesday. The Corporation for National and Community Service, which runs AmeriCorps, argued that its funding was awarded based on a program's secular activities, not the religious teaching and daily mass and prayer services that it said were a separate part of the program."