ECLC
Lawsuit
Lawsuit Update:
ECLC filed suit against the state of
Minnesota on Tuesday May 21, 2003 asking that the portions of the new “conceal
and carry” law that apply to faith communities be declared unconstitutional.
The law that was passed by the legislature and signed by the governor places
a significant burden on religious speech and prevents ECLC from giving witness
to Christian peacemaking and non-violence by not allowing us to keep guns from
our parking lot and by requiring us to “personally” notify each
person entering our church. Recent developments include:
Significant numbers of faith communities have joined in the lawsuit and more
are voting to join each week. This includes synagogues, churches and the Minneapolis
Area Synod of the Lutheran Church, the 6 Lutheran Bishops of Minnesota have
also issued a statement of support of the lawsuit, the Episcopal Diocese of
Minnesota, the Minnesota Catholic Council (Roman Catholic bishops and Dioceses),
and the Minnesota Methodist Conference.
ECLC won a significant ruling from
the judge that allowed us to ban guns from our building without state intrusion.
We have recently appealed the rest of the ruling so as to be able to keep our
parking lot and grounds free of weapons. We are also asking for relief from
the portions of the law that restrict our rights as a landlord and as an employer.
ECLC has been ably represented by David Lillehaug and the Frederick & Byron law firm. We will try to keep members up to date on our web site and by e-mail.