InnerChange decision

[Douglas Laycock]

I don't have a link, and I don't want to clog all your boxes with a
massive attachment, but I just received from the New York Times a
sweeping opinion from the Southern District of Iowa, striking down
Prison Fellowship's state funded program in the Iowa prisons.  Americans
United (quoted below) claims a massive victory.  And on a very quick
skim, I think that's right.  The program sounds very similar to the
proposed federal program we were debating a few days ago.  Of course I
assume that Iowa and Prison Fellowship will appeal.
 
Douglas Laycock
University of Texas Law School
727 E. Dean Keeton St.
Austin, TX  78705
   512-232-1341 (phone)
   512-471-6988 (fax)
 

	The court just handed down the InnerChange decision.  It is 140
pages long and permanently enjoins the program so long as it is funded
by government dollars.  It also orders "recoupment," which means
payments back from Prison Fellowship Ministries to the state, of more
than $1.5 million.  (Those monies have to go back to the funds within
the prison system to benefit inmates, from which they were taken.)  We
haven't read the decision yet, obviously, and will send a summary when
we have.  But it is obviously a massive victory.
	 
	______________________________________________ 
	Richard B. Katskee 
	Assistant Legal Director 
	Americans United for Separation of Church and State 
	518 C St., NE 
	Washington, DC  20002 
	Tel:   202-466-3234, x210 
	Fax:  202-466-2587 
	katskee at au.org
	 
	

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