On April 7th, Rob Sherman filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Illinois in order to block state grants toward religious organizations. Citing the Illinois Constitution, Sherman claims that the state may not grant public funds to churches or religious schools, and that no Illinois citizen is required to support a religious organization against that citizen’s consent.
Sherman explains that he is “not just picking on one faith”; the grants he intends to block include money for the Nation of Islam Temple in Chicago, the construction of a building for Christ the King Jesuit College Preparatory School, and the Hillel Foundation at Northwestern University. He is also targeting the Boy Scouts and Free Masons of Illinois due to their policies prohibiting atheists from joining.
