New Jersey Churches Prevail in Halting Ban From Historic Funds

A district court has enjoined New Jersey from enforcing a rule that would exclude churches from certain preservation funds.

The US District Court for the District of New Jersey granted a preliminary injunction for Mendham Methodist Church and Zion Lutheran Church Long Valley, which sued after they were denied historical preservation grants for church repairs.

The state’s arguments that allowing the churches to compete for historic preservation funding for repairs could be construed as endorsement of a religion weren’t well-founded, Judge Evelyn Padin wrote. She says the case “illustrates the inherent tension” between the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause and ...