Photo of Jordan Ault

Jordan litigates product liability and toxic tort cases for many of the world’s leading manufacturers of specialty chemicals, petrochemicals, paint and coatings, and industrial and consumer products. Jordan helped launch the firm’s Nonprofit Organizations & Religious Institutions team. In this role, Jordan has advised nonprofit and religious clients on a variety of issues, from litigation and employment disputes to tax and real estate issues.

This morning, the Supreme Court of the United States issued an opinion in favor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Comer. The Court considered whether excluding churches from an otherwise neutral and secular aid program administered by a state agency violates the Free Exercise and Equal Protection Clauses of the U.S. Constitution.  The Court held a Missouri program funding safety material for playgrounds at public and on non-secular private institutions but not religious ones violated the rights of Trinity Lutheran under the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment by denying the church an otherwise available public benefit on account of its religious status.
Continue Reading Update: Supreme Court Issues Decision in Favor of Trinity Lutheran Church