Virginia Supreme Court To Hear Regent U. Bond Case.

The Virginia Supreme Court has announced that it will decide whether TV preacher Pat Robertson's Regent University is eligible for $55 million in state bonds.

The state court granted the appeal of Virginia College Building Authority v. Barry Lynn March 6. The case was brought by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which argued that the bonds would be a form of taxpayer aid to Regent.

AU Executive Director Barry W. Lynn said he hopes the Virginia high court affirms the lower court ruling. "Religious schools should be supported by voluntary contributions, not money coerced from taxpayers," he remarked. "We're confident that the Virginia Supreme Court will uphold this important principle."

Robertson is seeking the bonds to underwrite new construction at Regent's Virginia Beach campus and the building of a satellite campus in Alexandria, Va. On July 30, 1999, Richmond Circuit Judge Randall G. Johnson ruled against the bond issue, noting that the Virginia Constitution forbids government support of sectarian institutions.

At the lower court, AU attorney Ayesha Khan was able to prove that Regent includes its fundamentalist Christian perspective in all classes and other educational activities, based on Regent documents AU had obtained. Khan's argument was so persuasive that Johnson ruled against Regent from the bench, remarking, "I don't know how in the world you can say its [Regent's] primary purpose isn't religious training or that it is not pervasively sectarian."

Americans United brought this action with the cooperation of the Virginia affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union.