Supreme Court to decide if gov't can blacklist church schools from public safety programs Becket senior counsel available for comment following oral argument in Lutheran school case

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the Supreme Court will hear the case of Trinity Lutheran Church preschool, which was blocked from participating in a Missouri program that provides safer playgrounds for kids. Becket filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of Trinity Lutheran, which could have received a grant to replace its dilapidated gravel playground surface with safer and softer recycled tire material, but was denied because it is a religious organization. The case, Trinity Lutheran v. Comer, will determine whether the government can blacklist religious organizations from participating in public safety benefits simply because they are religious. Trinity Lutheran will be the first religious liberty case that newly confirmed Justice Gorsuch will hear before the Court’s term ends.

Who:
Becket Senior Counsel Hannah Smith

What:
Oral Argument for Trinity Lutheran v. Comer

When:
Wednesday, April, 19, 2017
10:00 a.m. Eastern

Where:
The Supreme Court of the United States
1 First Street NE, Washington, DC

For more information or to arrange an interview, contact Melinda Skea at media@becketlaw.org or 202-349-7224. Interviews can be arranged in English, Chinese, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

Additional Information:                                              

• Amicus Brief (April 21, 2016)
• Case page/media kit (all legal docs, press releases, background, pictures)

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Becket is a non-profit, public-interest law firm dedicated to protecting the free expression of all religious traditions and has a 100% win-rate before the United States Supreme Court. For over 20 years, it has successfully defended clients of all faiths, including Buddhists, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Native Americans, Sikhs, and Zoroastrians (read more here).