You read that right. This week the monks of St. Joseph Abbey in Covington Louisiana argued in court that they have a right to build caskets without first obtaining government persmission.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval oversaw a three-hour bench trial in which attorneys for the monks argued that state requirements for the construction and sale of coffins are unconstitutional. . . . The monks sell their custom caskets for around $2,000 apiece and use the finances directly to help the monastery.
The lawsuit is a reply to a cease-and-desist letter the monks received from the State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors.
The lawsuit was brought by the Institute for Justice.
