Parsonage Supporters Encouraged By Seventh Circuit Oral Arguments

Forbes September 11, 2014

I reached out to my parsonage brain trust and so far have only heard from one source, who I think is who Tom Strode heard from. Luke Goodrich is the Deputy General Counsel of The Becket Fund. Mr Goodrich, who favors the exemption, was very encouraged by what he heard. For those who favor the constitutionality of the 60-year-old parsonage allowance, today’s oral argument went very well.

The Court was interested in the question of standing, asking several questions about why the plaintiffs should be allowed to litigate someone else’s tax treatment. But because a ruling on standing would merely delay the litigation—not resolve it—the questions about underlying Establishment Clause challenge have more enduring interest.

Read the full article here.