In August the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Louisiana asked that payments to churches totaling $120,000, approved by the legislature as part of a general appropriations bill were stopped. In response, on Oct. 5, a federal judge in Louisiana issued an order stating that "non-neutral, direct money grants of taxpayer funds to favored houses of worship are clearly unconstitutional." The ACLU argued that the legislative earmarks violated the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. The grants were not subject to oversight or competitive bidding and the appropriations bill offered no justification for them. The judge found that the grants lacked any specified secular purpose, as required by First Amendment protections prohibiting the government from endorsing religion.

Click here to read the court order blocking payments and here to read the judge's decision regarding the ACLU's standing to sue.