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Christianity Today, June (Web-only), 2007 |

Supreme Court Turns Down Challenge to Faith-Based Office

Ruling says taxpayers don't have standing to sue executive branch for use of funds.

Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service | posted 6/27/2007 08:42AM

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"It certainly symbolically invites the executive branch to violate the separation of church and state," she said. "It's not buttressing the separation of church and state by any respect; I consider it to be thumbing its nose at it."

Still, she said, the case will not prevent certain kinds of church-state cases from continuing, such as her group's challenge to the Department of Veterans Affairs' chaplaincy program, which it has appealed to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, the same court whose ruling was reversed Monday.

Related Elsewhere:

A summary of the case and the opinions of Supreme Court Justices Alito, Kennedy, Scalia, and Souter for Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation are available from the Supreme Court.

Related news coverage includes:

Court Bars Suits Against Faith-Based Initiatives | The Supreme Court today handed President Bush's faith-based initiatives program a victory, ruling that federal taxpayers cannot challenge the constitutionality of the White House's efforts to help religious groups obtain government funding for their social programs (The Washington Post).

Court: taxpayers can't sue on faith-based plan | A closely divided Supreme Court ruled on Monday that taxpayers cannot challenge President George W. Bush's use of government funds to finance social programs operated by religious groups (Reuters).

Court bars suit against faith-based plan | The Bush administration's faith-based initiatives got a boost Monday from the Supreme Court: a ruling that ordinary taxpayers cannot sue to stop conferences that help religious charities apply for federal grants. (Associated Press)

Three Bad Rulings | The Supreme Court hit the trifecta yesterday: Three cases involving the First Amendment. Three dismaying decisions by Chief Justice John Roberts's new conservative majority.

The Supreme Court decided other cases of importance to religious organizations this week (the next-to-last decision day of this term), including the 'Bong Hits 4 Jesus' case.

Christianity Today's previous coverage of politics and law is available on our site.

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June (Web-only) 2007, Vol. 51

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WMS	Posted: June 27, 2007 3:03 PM

I thought I never see the day that I would agree with the Atheist but today is the day. I too although I am a believer I too believe that the Faith Base is Government intrusion in private religious freedom and it does violate the constitution of the United States and now the Supreme Court has violated the Constitution of the United States, but this is not the only time they have violated it.” go figure” Thanks WMS for further info see blogs at http//www.GoldenChinaOnline.com

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