Supreme Court rules for Columbia church in playground case

The Supreme Court has ruled that churches have the same right as other charitable groups to seek state money for new playground surfaces and other non-religious needs.

The justices on Monday ruled 7-2 in favor of Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Missouri. The church sought a grant to put a soft surface on its preschool playground, but was denied any money even though its application was ranked fifth out of 44 submissions.

Chief Justice John Roberts said for the court that it “is odious to our Constitution” to exclude the church from the grant program. Roberts said that’s true even though the consequences are only “a few extra scraped knees.”

Alliance Defending Freedom CEO and General Council to Trinity Lutheran Church Michael Farris does not believe the ruling concerns the separation between church and state. “When a state constitution keeps religious groups out, that state’s constitutional prevision violates the first amendment,” Farris said.

Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley said this case was about “discrimination on the basis of faith… and [the Supreme Court] said that kind of discrimination is unconstitutional.”

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) rejected the church’s application at first. However Governor Greitens reversed the policy banning religious organizations from receiving state funds for non-religious matters in April before the case was argued in court. The DNR said the Supreme Court’s decision “strengthens the policy of the Greitens administration.”