The IRS says pastors who support political candidates from the pulpit should not risk losing their tax-free status

The move effectively sought sculptures for religious groups from the rarely used IRS rules called the Johnson Amendment, and was established in 1954 and named after the Sen of that time. Lyndon Johnson.

In a joint court aimed at ending an ongoing case against the IRS, the Tax Collection Agency, the National Association of Religious Broadcasting Bureaus (Evangelical Media Consortium) and other plaintiffs have urged federal courts in Texas to prevent the government from enforcing amendments to Johnson’s plaintiffs.

The Johnson Amendment is an amendment to the 1954 U.S. Tax Act that prohibits tax-exempt organizations, including the church, from supporting or opposing political candidates.

Christian Media Group and others filed a lawsuit against the IRS last August, saying the amendment violated the initial right to amend the freedom of speech, religious freedom exercise, and other legal protections. On Monday, the IRS and plaintiffs wrote that Johnson’s amendments should be interpreted “to not arrive at communication to the congregation in relation to religious service through normal communication on matters of faith.”

The New York Times first reported news of court filings.

The IRS generally does not force Johnson amendments to places of worship for speeches relating to electoral politics.

President Donald Trump He says he wants to remove Johnson’s fix He signed an executive order in 2017, instructing the Treasury to ignore the rules.

“We will remove Johnson’s amendments and destroy them completely, allowing representatives of the faith to speak freely and without fear of retaliation,” Trump said at the 2017 National Prayer Breakfast.

Representatives from the IRS and the National Religious Broadcasters Association did not respond to Associated Press’ requests for comment.

Earlier this year, Republican lawmakers introduced legislation to remove the Johnson amendment.