Supreme court ruling backs Amish, says scrutiny of law needed
The Supreme court sided with an Amish community on Friday on a case where the community challenged the Minnesota county. The Amish community challenged the county on religious grounds for asking its members to install septic tanks to treat wastewater.
The Amish community rejected the Minnesota county’s proposal to install septic systems to treat wastewater known as gray water. The community which has traditionally rejected modern technology wants to use wastewater for irrigation or treat it through less sophisticated systems.
“County officials have subjected the Amish to threats of reprisals and inspections of their homes and farms. They have attacked the sincerity of the Amish’s faith,” wrote Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch. “In this country, neither the Amish nor anyone else should have to choose between their farms and their faith.”
Gorsuch added that the courts need to scrutinize a law that burdens religious organizations while offering exceptions to secular ones.