NEW ORLEANS (RNS) Monks at St. Joseph Abbey near Covington, La., can sue for the right to sell handcrafted caskets without a license from the Louisiana Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors, a federal judge has decided.<\/p>\n
U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval’s April 8 ruling sets the stage for a June 6 trial, during which the monks’ lawyers will argue that restricting casket sales to state-licensed funeral directors amounts to unconstitutional economic protectionism.<\/p>\n
“This ruling is a vindication of what we have been saying all along: Economic liberty is for everyone, including the monks of the abbey,” Abbot Justin Brown said in a statement issued by the Virginia-based Institute of Justice, which is arguing on behalf of the abbey.<\/p>\n
St. Joseph Abbey opened a woodshop in 2007 to sell handcrafted cypress caskets to the public; proceeds were intended to help pay the medical and educational needs of 36 Benedictine monks.<\/p>\n
The board regulating state embalmers and funeral directors issued a cease-and-desist letter before a single casket was sold, citing a state statute that restricts casket sales to licensed dealers.<\/p>\n
Last August, the 122-year-old abbey filed suit to strike down the law. Duval rejected a motion from the state funeral industry to dismiss the monks’ suit.<\/p>\n
Michael Rasch, an attorney for the state Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors, could not be reached for comment, though he has said the board is only enforcing a state law.<\/p>\n
– RAMON ANTONIO VARGAS<\/strong>, Religion News Service <\/em> NEW ORLEANS (RNS) Monks at St. Joseph Abbey near Covington, La., can sue for the right to sell handcrafted caskets without a license from the Louisiana Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors, a federal judge has decided. U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval’s April 8 ruling sets the stage for a June 6 trial, during which…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":345,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,8,9],"tags":[406,407,404,2202,408,405],"class_list":["post-2902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faith","category-news","category-rns","tag-casket","tag-louisiana-board-of-embalmers-and-funeral-directors","tag-monk","tag-rns","tag-ruling","tag-st-joseph-abbey"],"yoast_head":"\n
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\n(Ramon Antonio Vargas writes for <\/em>The Times-Picayune in New Orleans.)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"