CHARLESTON, W.Va. –Kanawha County Circuit Court judge ruling Wednesday that the West Virginia Water Development Authority violated the state’s Constitution when it awarded a $5 million dollar grant to a Catholic institution in Ohio.
Judge Richard Lindsay, presiding in Charleston, stated that the West Virginia Constitution prohibits the use of public funds for religious education and advocacy.
The West Virginia Water Development Authority awarded the fund to the College of St. Joseph the Worker – an institution based in Steubenville, Ohio – in 2024 to support its expansion in the state.
In January, The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia, on behalf of the American Humanist Association, filed a lawsuit to block the grants from being used by the school’s religious ministry.
“We’re proud to have taken a stand on behalf of our members and are encouraged that the court held the line on this unconstitutional appropriation of funds,” Amitai Heller, AHA Legal Director said, in a release from the ACLU-WV. “The separation of church and state is non-negotiable, and the West Virginia Water Development Authority had no business granting public infrastructure dollars to fund religious education and advocacy. Our members saw this blatant violation of church-state separation happening in their community and in concert with the ACLU of West Virginia, we acted.”
“Public dollars should always serve the public good, we will keep fighting in the courts to defend this principle as long as we need to,” Heller continued.
During the ruling, the court gave West Virginia Water Development Authority 30 days to demonstrate of its compliance with its constitutional obligation.