08/07/2025
The IRS in a new federal court filing says that churches can endorse political candidates to their congregations without risking the loss of their tax-exempt status.
The move upends a 70-year interpretation of the U.S. tax code, whose Johnson Amendment has barred certain non-profit groups, including churches, from endorsing political candidates without putting their tax-exempt status in jeopardy.
Two churches and a religious group sued the IRS in 2024, saying their First Amendment rights were violated by the ban on endorsing candidates in elections.
