AC46603 -
Foundation for the Advancement of Catholic Schools, Inc. v. Blair (“The plaintiffs, Foundation for the Advancement of Catholic Schools, Inc. (FACS), and five members of its Board of Trustees (board), appeal from the judgment of the trial court dismissing, for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, their complaint against the defendants, the Most Reverend Leonard P. Blair; Reverend Ryan M. Lerner; Reverend Michael Whyte; Reverend Jeffrey Romans; Reverend Daniel G. Keefe; and Matthew A. Byrne. On appeal, the plaintiffs claim that the court improperly dismissed their complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction after concluding that exercising jurisdiction over the action would violate the free exercise and establishment clauses of the first amendment to the United States constitution because adjudicating the dispute would result in the excessive entanglement of government and religion. We conclude that the trial court improperly determined that the first amendment bars adjudication of the plaintiffs' claims and, accordingly, reverse the judgment of the court.”)