The Way the U.S. Separates Church and State

NPR’s Nina Totenberg reports on a case argued before the U.S. Supreme Court this week, Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Comer, about whether the state of Missouri can refuse to help a Lutheran preschool rubberize its playground. The Missouri Supreme Court has barred giving state aid to a school that is owned or controlled by a church where the applicant's mission is spiritual in nature. Last week, before the case was argued, the Missouri governor announced that from now on religious groups will be eligible for grants similar to the one at issue in this case, perhaps making the dispute moot. 7 min.
Totenberg reports here on the oral arguments. You can listen to the arguments (58 min) yourself here (transcript available).