LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Judge Halts Grants Over Religion

By THE ASSOICATED PRESS


ADISON, Wis., Jan. 15 (AP) - A judge has blocked the Bush administration from providing future grants to an Arizona mentoring group that injected religion into its publicly financed programs.

The ruling is the first time a judge has struck down a grant through the president's initiative that seeks to give religious groups equal footing in seeking federal grants to provide social services.

The Department of Health and Human Services cut off money to the group, MentorKids USA, in December after evidence showed it used public money to support activities like worship and religious instruction.

Judge John Shabaz of Federal District Court on Tuesday prohibited the agency from financing MentorKids in the future. The suit was brought by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which is based in Madison.

MentorKids, based in Phoenix, received a three-year grant in 2003 to mentor the children of prisoners. The program hired only Christians to work as mentors and required them to adhere to a Christian statement of faith and code of conduct.

Mentors were also encouraged to share their faith with the children and to report on whether the children had discussed God, participated in Bible study or attended church.

Daryl Reese, the program's executive director, said MentorKids took steps to exclude religion from the work it did with the public grant.

Wade Horn, assistant secretary for children and families in the Department of Health and Human Services, said the agency was reviewing whether it could resume the grant should MentorKids show it can separate its religious and secular work.

Mr. Bush's program gave $1.17 billion in grants to faith-based groups in 2003.

January 16, 2005