Monks go to court for right to build caskets in Louisiana

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.