Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc., v. Pauley (Amicus Brief)

The ACLU of Missouri filed an amicus brief in a federal court case in support of a lower court's ruling that a religious preschool was ineligible to receive taxpayer funds.

Christian Preschool Is Ineligible For State Grant

June 26, 2014

A federal appeals court should uphold a lower court ruling that denied a religious Missouri preschool taxpayer funds, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of Missouri and Americans United.

The three organizations recently filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc., v. Pauley. The brief argues that a lower court correctly ruled that a preschool operated by Trinity Lutheran Church did not qualify for a state grant to purchase recycled tires to resurface its playground. As in many states, Missouri’s state constitution includes a provision prohibiting religious schools from receiving public funds. The ACLU urged the Court to robustly enforce the Missouri Constitution, which grants heightened protection to the separation of church and state.

The case is Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc., v. Pauley.