The Court Case That Could Blow the Roof Off Political Spending
A vocal Christian nationalist minority has been working for two decades to overturn a vital federal law that safeguards our democracy and elections. After countless failures, they may finally succeed by colluding with Donald Trump’s government.
A federal court is hearing arguments on Tuesday about whether to approve a settlement between Trump’s IRS and two churches represented by Michael Farris, who sued the IRS, arguing that religious freedom means churches should be able to use their tax exemptions to benefit partisan political campaigns.
Farris is a fervent Christian nationalist. He’s the former head of the Alliance Defending Freedom and founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association and also Patrick Henry College — all notable for their advancement of Christian nationalism. The settlement Farris is proposing with Acting IRS Commissioner Steve Bessent would declare that the Johnson Amendment is unconstitutional and prohibit the government from enforcing the rule. This would effectively neuter a crucial safeguard and turn American churches into unregulated, unaccountable Super PACs. It could make Citizens United, the 2010 Supreme Court decision that gave wealthy donors and corporations enormous political influence, look tame by comparison.
For all the venom directed at the Johnson Amendment, it’s pretty simple: Charitable giving should fund charitable work, not political campaigns.
Nonprofits, including churches, are eligible for tax exemptions. Tax exemption is a privilege, not a right. And the government can attach strings to that privilege. One string is the Johnson Amendment. It prevents 501(c)(3) charities from endorsing or opposing political candidates. That’s it.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/christian-nationalists-churches-spend-political-campaigns-1235471282/
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