June 20, 2013

Court: Hutterites must pay workers' compensation

BY: AP Staff Writer JANUARY 1, 2013 | MODIFIED: JANUARY 1, 2013 AT 2:15 PM
Leave a comment

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A divided Montana Supreme Court says forcing a Hutterite religious colony to pay workers' compensation insurance for jobs outside the commune is not an unconstitutional intrusion into religion.

Monday's 4-3 decision upholds a 2009 law requiring religious organizations to carry workers' comp insurance. The Legislature passed the law after businesses complained they couldn't outbid the Hutterites.

The Big Sky Colony sued, saying the law targeted its religion and infringed on its beliefs. Its members have no personal property and make no wages as part of their communal living, and a member that makes a claim against the colony would be excommunicated.

The majority ruled the law did not interfere with their religious practices.

Retiring Justice James Nelson says the law violates the First Amendment to appease a powerful industry.

View article comments Leave a comment

More from washingtonexaminer.com

From the Weekly Standard

  • June 17, 1953

    Today, speaking at the Brandenburg Gate, President Obama paid appropriate tribute to the brave East Germans who rebelled 60 years ago against Communist dictatorship:

    Read More...
  • Problems of the Second Generation

    The Boston Marathon bombings highlighted, once again, the challenges of assimilating Muslim youth. And while the onus of accountability ought not rest exclusively on Muslim Americans, it...

    Read More...
  • Release Osama Bin Laden’s Files on Taliban

    The Obama administration announced on Tuesday that it was moving forward with its attempt to negotiate with the Taliban, which has opened a long-awaited political office in Doha, Qatar. The...

    Read More...