Federal judge rules charter school violated church rights
A federal judge in Idaho, Chief U.S. District Court Judge David Nye, ruled that Sage International, a public charter school in Middleton, violated Truth Family Bible Church’s First Amendment rights when the school canceled a lease that had allowed the congregation to hold Sunday services in the school gym. The lease was terminated amid Sage’s application for roughly $15 million in bonds from the Idaho Housing and Finance Association (IHFA), which flagged the church’s presence as a potential Blaine Amendment issue; the court found the lease cancellation infringed the church’s Free Exercise, Establishment and Free Speech rights and called the IHFA concern a 'lapse in judgment.'
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🔍 Key Facts
- Judge David Nye ruled a public charter school (Sage International) unlawfully terminated a lease with Truth Family Bible Church.
- Sage International was seeking approximately $15 million in IHFA bonds when the lease was canceled and the IHFA flagged Blaine Amendment concerns.
- The court found violations of the Free Exercise, Establishment and Free Speech clauses and quoted the school's bond-review rationale as a 'lapse in judgment'.