Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. v. McCallum.U.S. Appeals CourtESTABLISHMENT CLAUSE FORCED EXPOSURE Freedom From Religion Foundation The Freedom From Religion Foundation is an American Freethought organization based in Madison, Wisconsin. Its purposes, as stated in its bylaws, are to promote the separation of church and state, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism. , Inc. v. McCallum, 324 F.3d 880 (7th Cir. 2003). A taxpayer group sought to enjoin To direct, require, command, or admonish. Enjoin connotes a degree of urgency, as when a court enjoins one party in a lawsuit by ordering the person to do, or refrain from doing, something to prevent permanent loss to the other party or parties. state authorities from funding a halfway house halfway house /half·way house/ (haf´wa hous) a residence for patients (e.g., mental patients, drug addicts, alcoholics) who do not require hospitalization but who need an intermediate degree of care until they can return to the community. that incorporated Christianity into its treatment program, alleging that such funding constituted establishment of religion. Following a bench trial, the district court entered judgment in favor of the state. The taxpayers appealed and the appeals court affirmed af·firm v. af·firmed, af·firm·ing, af·firms v.tr. 1. To declare positively or firmly; maintain to be true. 2. To support or uphold the validity of; confirm. v.intr. , finding that the funding did not violate the Establishment Clause. The court noted that offenders were free to choose between the halfway house and secular programs, there was not evidence that parole officers were influenced by their own religious beliefs in recommending the halfway house or other programs to offenders, and all the other programs with which the state contracted were secular. The halfway house incorporated programs similar to Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), worldwide organization dedicated to the treatment of alcoholics; founded 1935 by two alcoholics, one a New York broker, the other an Ohio physician. . (Faith Works Milwaukee, Inc.) |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion