Yesterday’s decision by the Supreme Court not to weigh in on a dispute between a Bronx religious group and the school department over whether the group had a right to use school property for after-hours religious services let stand an earlier appeals court ruling.
(During the Bush years, the federal government twice weighed in on the side of the religious group, and the Obama administration does not appear to have altered that stance.)
The ruling demarcates another section of the zig-zag border between church and state in New York: Religious groups can’t use school property, but they can receive faith-based social services funding from the city, and they enjoy property tax exemptions worth some $600 million annually.
In other policy news:
What are the rules cops are supposed to follow when it comes to expressing their opinions publicly? Check out this except from the NYPD Patrol Guide: