Court blocks $5 million West Virginia grant to Catholic trade college amid lawsuit

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 10, 2025 / 16:05 pm (CNA).

A circuit court blocked a West Virginia agency from awarding a $5 million grant to St. Joseph the Worker, an Ohio-based Catholic trade college that planned to expand into the state.

In a bench ruling, Judge Richard Lindsay found that the planned grant would violate Article III of the West Virginia Constitution, which forbids the government from using tax funds “for the erection or repair of any house for public worship or for the support of any church or ministry.”

The grant had been approved by the West Virginia Water Development Authority for the purpose of economic development. The American Humanist Association filed a lawsuit against the agency for awarding the grant and had legal representation from the West Virginia American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

“We’re proud to have taken a stand on behalf of our members and are encouraged that the court held the line on this unconstitutional appropriation of funds,” American Humanist Association Legal Director Amitai Heller said in a statement.

“The separation of church and state is a non-negotiable, and the [water authority] had no business granting public infrastructure dollars to fund religious education and advocacy,” Heller said.

“Our members saw this blatant violation of church-state separation happening in their community and in concert with the ACLU of West Virginia, we acted,” he said.

The ruling was announced in a news release from the humanist group. Because the judge delivered an oral ruling from the bench, a written order was not available as of Thursday afternoon. A spokesman for the group told CNA a written order is expected within the next 30 days.

According to the humanist organization, the court gave the water authority 30 days to submit a filing to the court that shows compliance with the order.

St. Joseph the Worker, which is based in Steubenville, Ohio, teaches construction-related trades such as carpentry, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing. It also offers a bachelor’s degree in Catholic studies along with the trade lessons.

The grant money would have supported job training and education programs based in West Virginia. It would have also supported the creation of a non-profit construction company that would have employed students to work on community revitalization projects that would not be profitable enough to receive private investment.

A spokesperson for St. Joseph the Worker was not available to provide a comment by press time.

When reached for comment, West Virginia Water Development Authority Executive Director Marie Prezioso declined to comment on the ruling directly.

“[A]ny comments … will be made in public court filings or other public disclosures,” Prezioso said. She did not respond to a follow-up email asking whether the water authority plans to appeal the ruling.

The decision to block the grant comes about two weeks after the court rejected the authority’s request for the lawsuit to be dismissed.