Federal Court Upholds New York City's Ban On Worship Services At Schools

The AP (6/3, Neumeister, Subscription Publication) reports that the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned a lower court's decision that prevented New York City from banning "Sunday religious worship services at public schools that otherwise might become state-sponsored Christian churches on weekends." The AP reports that the ruling is "likely to affect dozens of schools where services are conducted each week." The panel "said in a 2-1 decision that the city Board of Education 'had a strong basis to be wary that permitting religious worship services in schools, and thus effectively allowing schools to be converted into churches on Sunday, would be found to violate the establishment clause' of the Constitution, which bars Congress from making a law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise of one."