Appellate court says New York City can restrict use of school facilities for religious services

June 3, 2011
Ruling says facility use by religious groups could be seen as endorsement of particular religion

From The New York Times: New York City again has legal standing to block religious groups from using school facilities outside of regular school hours for "religious worship services," a federal appeals court has ruled. The 2-1 ruling states that the city "a strong basis to believe" that allowing the religious services in school facilities could be seen as the kind of endorsement of religion that violated the First Amendment’s establishment clause. The decision from a 1995 lawsuit brought by an evangelical Christian church, the Bronx Household of Faith. It contended that the city was violating the First Amendment in denying it access to a school, when it allowed other community groups to have space for their activities.

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