Religious Group Challenges Legal Restrictions on Political Activity

A religious legal group, the Alliance Defense Fund, has begun a campaign to challenge the federal tax law that forbids tax-exempt groups from endorsing or opposing political candidates, reports AlterNet.

Citing a May 9 Wall Street Journal article, AlterNet said the group is urging pastors to discuss candidates for public office in hopes of sparking a new case to test the law, which in 2000 was unanimously upheld by a federal appeals court in the face of pressure on Congress to change it.

Despite a lack of support from ministers unwilling to engage their congregations politically, the legal group claims that dozens of religious leaders have expressed interest in taking part in the effort, which has drawn strong criticism.

“I assume the ADF will provide a list of congregations unwise enough to join this move, and we’ll be ready to report those churches to the IRS,” said Barry W. Lynn, executive Director at Americans United.

Also: Nonprofit leaders have filed a court motion this week challenging a controversial Georgia sex-offender registry law that stipulates that no registered sex offender can work for or volunteer at a church, an article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The court motion — which seeks to delay enforcement of the new provision until it becomes law on July 1 — argues that the law “criminalizes fundamental religious activities.”

“With this law, the state of Georgia is driving people on the registry from the faith communities and depriving them of the rehabilitative influence of the church,” said Sarah Geraghty, a lawyer with the Southern Center for Human Rights.