The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled that religious institutions are eligible for public funds, so long as that money is directed towards secular programs. The 7-2 decision said the state of Missouri violated a Lutheran church’s rights under the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause by barring it from receiving a state grant for playground resurfacing. Only Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor dissented. “Denying a generally available benefit solely on account of religious identity imposes a penalty on the free exercise of religion that can't be justified only be a state interest ‘of the highest order,’” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the court’s opinion.
