The Mormon Church and Proposition 8
Filed by: Guest Blogger
January 9, 2009 12:00 PM
http://www.bilerico.com/2009/01/the_mormon_church_and_proposition_8.phpEditors' note: This guest post comes to The Bilerico Project courtesy of Exception Magazine. Liz Towne is General Counsel and Director of Advocacy Programs at Alliance for Justice, a coalition of public interest organizations which provides free technical assistance on legal issues related to nonprofit and foundation advocacy.
Liz Towne.JPGAs the passage of Proposition 8 continues to energize advocates on both sides of the political spectrum, many who opposed the initiative have questioned whether the Mormon Church, officially known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), violated federal tax law through their efforts to support the constitutional amendment which effectively banned same-sex marriage in California.
To be clear at the outset, no one outside of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) can accurately answer this question. The IRS is the ultimate arbiter of whether or not LDS violated their tax-exempt status. While it remains uncertain whether or not the IRS will pursue any course of action relating to LDS' involvement in the passage of Proposition 8, let us consider the law governing its activity and the inherent roadblocks to IRS action against LDS or any other church.
