First Liberty just filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of two New Jersey churches, the Mendham Methodist Church and The Zion Lutheran Church Long Valley. They are being excluded from a public grant program created to preserve and restore historic landmarks.

For years, Morris County granted historic preservation funds to churches, totaling $4.6 million in public aid. Funds went toward repairing historic buildings—from roofs to bell towers, stained-glass windows and ventilation systems.

In 2018, however, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that the state constitution prohibits using taxpayer dollars to restore historic church buildings. Even though the county wanted to continue this long-standing practice of providing aid to churches, that ruling prevented it from allocating the funds.

While centuries-old churches are excluded from the program, grant recipients have included a theater, a Masonic lodge and a restaurant.

This is unconstitutional. “The Supreme Court has made it abundantly clear that religious institutions cannot be excluded from public funding programs like preservation grants simply because of their religious character or religious activities,” said First Liberty Senior Counsel Jeremy Dys.

Houses of worship should not be treated more harshly than their secular counterparts. The Constitution and our federal laws prohibit such discrimination. Discriminating against historic churches and denying them the opportunity to participate in a public program isn’t just unconstitutional, but also harms the community. The architecture of historic houses of worship are seen by all citizens and residents. Restoring and preserving historic churches enriches everyone.

The battle to secure religious freedom for houses of worship in America is far from over. Churches, temples and synagogues continue to confront violations of their rights and freedoms. Please support First Liberty today, so we can keep fighting—and winning—for houses of worship across our country.