The Indiana Court of Appeals has held that Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act does not provide a conscientious exemption to paying taxes. The court reasoned that the state has a compelling interest in a uniform taxation system. The case is Tyms-Bey v. State, No. 49A05-1603-CR-439 (Ind. Ct. App. Jan. 13, 2017). Continue reading “Ind. Ct. App: Indiana RFRA doesn’t exempt taxpayers”
Tag: Free Exercise Clause
Indiana church camp sues over neighboring dairy farm
In one of the first lawsuits filed under Indiana’s year-old Religious Freedom Restoration Act (Ind. Code §§ 34-13-9-1 to -11), the Hoosier Environmental Council filed a complaint (download here) on behalf of a children’s church camp in eastern Indiana. The complaint alleges that the Rush County Board of Zoning Appeals substantially burdened the House of Prayer Ministries’ exercise of religion by granting a special exception to local zoning ordinances allowing Milco Dairy to construct and operate a concentrated animal feeding operation, known as a CAFO. Continue reading “Indiana church camp sues over neighboring dairy farm”
7th Cir: Notre Dame must submit form to avoid paying for contraceptives
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the denial of Notre Dame’s request for court-ordered exception to the contraception mandate under the Affordable Care Act. The case had returned from the Supreme Court after the high court decided Hobby Lobby v. Sebelius. Find the decision here.
Judge Richard Posner wrote the forty-page majority opinion, with Judge David Hamilton writing a concurrence. Judge Joel Flaum dissented. Continue reading “7th Cir: Notre Dame must submit form to avoid paying for contraceptives”
7th Circuit: Milwaukee Archdiocese’s cemetery trust fund not off limits from sex-abuse victims in bankruptcy court
In the
latest opinion interpreting the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act
(RFRA), the Seventh Circuit concluded that the 1993 law does not require the
court to exclude a $55 million cemetery trust fund from the Archdiocese of
Milwaukee’s bankruptcy estate. The case, Listecki v. Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors,
involves the question of whether a 2008 transfer of the money from the
archdiocese’s general fund to a newly created trust.
latest opinion interpreting the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act
(RFRA), the Seventh Circuit concluded that the 1993 law does not require the
court to exclude a $55 million cemetery trust fund from the Archdiocese of
Milwaukee’s bankruptcy estate. The case, Listecki v. Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors,
involves the question of whether a 2008 transfer of the money from the
archdiocese’s general fund to a newly created trust.
How to Get Arrested for Marrying Same-Sex Couples
There has been a lot of hubbub going around news outlets, blogs, and social media about how Republicans have changed the law in Indiana (my beloved home state) to make it a crime for same-sex couples to apply for marriage licenses and “for clergy to conduct weddings for gay couples.” (Emphasis from Americablog.)
Nothing New Here
As several sources have pointed out (again, blog and news outlet alike), these accounts are off target. The laws are not new, and they do not explicitly target same-sex couples. The only thing that is new is the name Indiana gives to the category of crime committed. Continue reading “How to Get Arrested for Marrying Same-Sex Couples”