WASHINGTON, DC – In a recent court filing, the Internal Revenue Service has agreed that churches, pastors, and other houses of worship are not prohibited from engaging in political speech. It was prompted by a lawsuit filed by the National Religious Broadcasters, Intercessors for America, along with two Baptist churches in Texas against the IRS. The plaintiffs challenged the Johnson Amendment, enacted in 1954, that prohibited tax-exempt organizations from participating in political campaigns. They also claimed the law infringes on free speech rights, the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, and the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.
Area Congressman Lloyd Smucker was pleased by the decision saying faith has always been at the heart of our nation’s politics. Pastors have been leaders in what’s happening in the political realm. That’s been true since our nation’s founding. It is absolutely correct that faith leaders should be able to speak their minds to their congregations.
The motion asked the court to bar any presidential administration from hindering the plaintiffs from backing candidates in front of their congregations. The IRS said that if a house of worship endorsed a candidate to its congregants, the agency would view that not as campaigning, but as a private matter like “a family discussion concerning candidates.”
REP. LLOYD SMUCKER