New Orleans, USA - The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit in federal court here Monday (Aug. 13) to stop Louisiana from making taxpayer-financed donations to two churches.
The gifts targeted in the case — $100,000 to the Stonewall Baptist Church in Bossier City and $20,000 to Shreveport Christian Church — are among 14 appropriations that individual state lawmakers requested for churches in the new state budget signed into law last month by Gov. Kathleen Blanco.
Charging that earmarking church-related grants in the state budget is unconstitutional and that the purposes of the grants are only vaguely described, the ACLU in late June asked Blanco to veto them all, warning the dispute could end up in court otherwise.
According to the ACLU, the state in certain circumstances can give money to religious organizations for some programs that provide non-religious social services, but the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution bars the government from making direct, unrestricted cash payments to churches.
"The state is doling out gifts to its preferred houses of worship with taxpayer money," said ACLU attorney Daniel Mach, director of the New York-based organization's Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief.
Mach added that in vetoing a $75,000 appropriation for the Southern University marching band, the governor had said there are many college marching bands. "How can that possibly be the rule for marching bands but not churches?" Mach asked.
Joined in the lawsuit by its Louisiana affiliate, the national ACLU also complains that the state budget calls for no oversight of the money the Legislature set aside for the two churches.
Mach said the ACLU tried unsuccessfully to get the Legislature to turn over documents explaining the church grants in detail.
Under a policy adopted earlier this year, House members must fill out a detailed form when asking for money on behalf of non-profit groups, explaining how the money will be used and who will benefit. But the forms have been declared privileged "work product" and cannot be publicly released unless the lawmaker sponsoring the amendment agrees in writing.