American Atheists v. City of Detroit Downtown Development Authority

Summary

American Atheists, Inc., filed suit against the city of Detroit in 2009, claiming that reimbursements to a local church for property improvements requested by the Motor City violated the First Amendment. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit ruled in favor St. John’s Episcopal Church, stating that the reimbursements – which were part of Detroit’s plan to improve its image prior to staging the Super Bowl – helped to ‘ensure neutrality, not threaten it.’