Minas Gerais Court Bars Religious Parking Privileges and Civic‑Military School Expansion

The Tribunal de Justiça de Minas Gerais (TJMG) declared unconstitutional a municipal law in Itabirito that reserved private cemetery and hospital parking spaces exclusively for priests and pastors. The court ruled that regulation of private parking falls under federal competence and that the law violated the constitutional principle of a secular state, stating “a Constituição exige neutralidade do poder público em relação às diferentes crenças.”

In a separate ruling, the TJMG upheld the order of the state Court of Accounts (TCE‑MG) that prohibits the state government from implementing or expanding the civic‑military school model in Minas Gerais. The decision highlighted the absence of specific legislation, lack of budgetary provision, and concerns that using reserve military personnel as supervisors could constitute a misuse of public funds, noting “O Poder Executivo não pode iniciar programas que demandem recursos públicos sem que o gasto esteja previsto no orçamento aprovado pelo Poder Legislativo.”