Federal Judge Blocks IRS Agreement on Pulpit Endorsements

Exclusive: Treasury to Create Church Guidance After Court Tosses IRS Pact Allowing Endorsement of Political Candidates

A federal judge on Tuesday tossed an agreement from Trump’s IRS that would have created an exemption to the Johnson Amendment.

Federal Judge Blocks IRS Agreement on Pulpit Endorsements

A federal judge has declined to approve a proposed agreement between the Internal Revenue Service and several Christian groups that would have limited enforcement of restrictions on churches endorsing political candidates during sermons. In a ruling issued Tuesday in National Religious Broadcasters v. Bessent, U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker of the Eastern District of Texas determined that the requested relief could not be granted.

Judge Blocks IRS Deal Freeing Churches to Endorse Candidates

A federal judge in Tyler, Texas, threw out a proposed agreement between the IRS and religious organizations that would have shielded churches from losing their tax-exempt status over political endorsements, a ruling that keeps a 72-year-old restriction on religious speech firmly in place and sets the stage for a Fifth Circuit appeal. U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker, a Trump appointee, ruled Tuesday that he lacked jurisdiction to approve t…