Important Church-State Decision in Notre Dame case

A few months ago, I blogged (here and here) about a case, brought by the American Jewish Congress, challenging the participation by Notre Dame's Alliance for Catholic Education volunteers in the federal Americorps program.  A federal trial court had sustained the challenge, ruling that "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.)

The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has just reversed this ruling, without dissent, and concluded that the Establishment Clause permits ACE volunteers to participate in (and to receive some funding through) Americorps.  (If any law students out there are looking for note topics . . . ).

Rick