Decision in Americorps / Notre Dame case

More than a year ago, the American Jewish Congress filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, claiming that the participation of "A.C.E." (Alliance for Catholic Education) teachers in the federal Americorps program violates the Establishment Clause. In this opinion, Judge Gladys Kessler agreed, and granted AJC's motion for summary judgment. In a nutshell, "the government funding [i.e., the Americorps funds made available to ACE participants] . . . results in impermissible government indoctrination." (I should disclose that I participated in several discussions with lawyers defending the ACE program in this lawsuit.)

Rick