Last week, Americans United acted quickly to leap to the defense of the Johnson Amendment, a federal law that for 71 years has protected the integrity of houses of worship and the political process.
Some background: The Johnson Amendment – named for Lyndon B. Johnson, who sponsored it when he was a U.S. senator – prohibits tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations, including houses of worship, from intervening in partisan politics by endorsing or opposing candidates for public office. Like so many things these days, it’s under attack by the Trump administration.
You might recall that prior to his first term, Trump, in an effort to placate his Christian Nationalist allies, vowed to “totally destroy” the Johnson Amendment. That turned out to be mere bluster. But this time, he’s doing real damage. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), acting in response to a lawsuit filed on behalf of two churches in Texas and two Christian organizations, has proposed essentially allowing houses of worship – but not similarly situated secular nonprofits – to endorse or oppose candidates.
This would be a huge mistake, and since Trump’s IRS isn’t willing to defend the core values of the Johnson Amendment, Americans United is stepping up to the plate. On Thursday, our Legal Department filed a motion to intervene in the lawsuit. We’re asking a federal court to reject the IRS’s proposal, which misstates and misapplies constitutional principles while seeking to circumvent both Congress and the courts.
It’s important to note, as AU has been making clear in the media, that the Johnson Amendment is good for both church and state. Americans attend houses of worship for spiritual reasons. That’s where many people find community and opportunities to engage in public service. Americans don’t go to houses of worship to get a list of candidates to vote for. The intrusion of partisan politics is corrosive to the charitable work of our religious communities, and it’s also divisive. Houses of worship should be places that transcend the partisan rancor that mars so much of public life these days.
In addition, allowing houses of worship to dive headfirst into partisan politics threatens to upend our campaign finance laws, which are already notoriously weak. Houses of worship must never become conduits for ambitious politicians.
For these reasons and more, Americans of all polticial beliefs and theologial views support the Johnson Amendment. Americans United is proud to represent the American people as we defend this important law from the crude and misguided attack launched by Trump and his Christian Nationalist supporters.
P.S. Americans United President and CEO Rachel Laser appears on MSNBC’s “PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton” Sunday afternoon to discuss why the Johnson Amendment deserves a vigorous defense. Check it out here.
