Federal Court Orders N Y City to Back Off Policy Not Allowing Churches to Continue Meeting in Schools (433 hits)
by Karla Dial
On Friday, a federal district judge ordered New York City to allow churches in all five boroughs to continue meeting in public schools on weekends until a court case concerning the matter is ultimately resolved.
After the U.S. Supreme Court declined last December to hear the case of a Bronx church that had been banned from meeting in a public school, New York City officials gave all churches meeting in schools a Feb. 12 eviction notice. However, all other community groups are still allowed to rent school facilities from the city for their own purposes; the city claims that allowing Christian churches to meet in them is an unconstitutional government "endorsement" of religion.
On Friday, Chief United States District Judge Loretta Preska ruled that the policy is causing the churches irreparable harm, and a court case claiming it violates their constitutional right to the free exercise of religion is likely to succeed.
