Detroit Challenged Under Establishment Clause On Super Bowl Clean-Up Grants

Today's Detroit News reports that a resident of Detroit and American Atheists, Inc. are suing the city and Detroit's Downtown Development Authority, demanding that they seek repayment of grants given to two downtown churches so they could fix up their building exteriors and parking areas as the city hosted this year's Super Bowl. The federal court suit seeks recovery of $690,000 given to Central United Methodist Church and Second Baptist Church as part of the Lower Woodward Facade Improvement Program. The complaint alleges that the grants violated the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution, and Article 1, Sec. 4 of the Michigan Constitution that prohibits use of public funds for the benefit of any religious sect or society.