ACLU files suit against West Virginia over $5 million grant to Catholic trade college

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 16, 2025 / 16:45 pm (CNA).

The American Humanist Association (AHA) filed a lawsuit to block West Virginia from awarding a $5 million grant to the College of St. Joseph the Worker — a Catholic trade college based in Steubenville, Ohio, that hopes to expand into the state.

St. Joseph the Worker, which offers a bachelor’s degree in Catholic studies and teaches trades related to construction, intends to use the grant to develop a construction company that would employ students in the northern part of West Virginia and expand its job training and education opportunities into the state.

The AHA, which is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of West Virginia, contends in its lawsuit that the grant violates the state constitution’s guarantee of freedom of religion because it requires that taxpayers fund a Catholic college.

AHA executive director Fish Stark said in a statement that “no one should have to pay taxes to fund someone else’s religion.”

“Humanists believe deeply in the freedom of conscience, and this attempt to force West Virginia taxpayers to fund religious activity is an offense against the Constitution and common sense,” Stark added.

“As a former West Virginia resident, I believe ‘Mountaineers Are Always Free’ means your faith is your business — no one else, and certainly not the government, has the right to push it on you,” he said.

Secular humanism is a nontheistic philosophy that suggests humans can develop ethical codes absent of God or religion.

The lawsuit was filed against the West Virginia Water Development Authority, which is the agency that approved the grant to support economic development. In a statement provided to CNA, agency officials declined to comment on the lawsuit, adding: “Any comments … will be made in public court filings or other public disclosures.”

St. Joseph the Worker is not named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit. A spokesperson for the college could not be reached for comment by the time of publication.

The lawsuit cites Article III of the West Virginia Constitution, which is the state’s Bill of Rights, to justify its lawsuit.

Section 15 of the article, which guarantees religious freedom, states that “no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry.” It further prohibits “any tax for the erection or repair of any house for public worship or for the support of any church or ministry.”

The lawsuit asserts the grant program from which St. Joseph the Worker would receive the funding — the Economic Enhancement Grant Fund — “is funded, in part, by appropriations levied against the taxpayers of West Virginia.” The grant was created with funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

“[The AHA] has been negatively impacted as a result of this violation, as their members have been required to fund and support a religious practice contrary to their shared beliefs and their constitutional right to freedom of, and from, religion,” the lawsuit asserts.

St. Joseph the Worker offers instruction in several trades: heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC); carpentry; masonry; electrical; and plumbing. The proposed nonprofit construction company would employ students learning those trades to revitalize the region.

Some of the funding would also support St. Joseph the Worker purchasing training facilities in Weirton, West Virginia, which borders Steubenville, Ohio. It would also support partnerships with tradesmen and contractors in West Virginia to place apprentices there after graduation.

The college would also use the funds to expand recruitment and scholarship opportunities for prospective students in West Virginia.