Now this story is just bizarre. And makes me glad that I don’t live in Kentucky. Kentucky District Judge Michael Caperton has taken it upon himself to allow people convicted of drug and/or alcohol offenses to go to church in lieu of jail time. “[Caperton] said there’s no violation of the separation of church and state because he said ‘worship services’ instead of ‘church.’ He also said it’s optional for the offenders.” In my opinion, arguing semantics does not excuse breaking the constitution. As for this being optional for defendants, that makes things even worse!
Or, as an ACLU lawyer puts it, “the judge is letting people who go to services avoid jail, while people who decline have to go to jail. The lawyer said that violates the state’s required ‘neutrality’ toward religion.”