Housing allowance defended in appeals court
CHICAGO (BP) -- Lawyers for both the U.S. Justice Department and a religious freedom organization defended the constitutionality of the ministerial housing allowance Wednesday (Oct. 24) before a federal appeals court. A three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago heard oral arguments regarding a 2017 opinion that invalidated the allowance as an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment clause that prohibits government establishment of religion. The Trump administration and Becket Fund for ...