IRS Signals Big Changes in Church Rules on Political Endorsements
Texas Court Win Challenges IRS Rules Silencing Churches
A new court filing in Texas has struck a blow against IRS rules that critics say were used to silence churches. This follows our April 2025 report, “How the DC Courts Helped the IRS Silence the Church” (Broken Truth), which revealed how Clinton’s allies allegedly worked with D.C. courts to punish churches for political speech while letting other nonprofits off the hook. The recent filing in National Religious Broadcasters v. Billy Long (Case No. 6:24-cv-00311, filed July 7, 2025) in Tyler, Texas, weakens these restrictions, giving churches more freedom to speak on politics.
The Texas Filing: A Victory for Churches
On July 7, 2025, the National Religious Broadcasters, two churches, and the IRS agreed to a court order in Texas. The lawsuit challenged the Johnson Amendment, a tax rule that stops churches and other nonprofits from endorsing political candidates. The plaintiffs said this rule violated their rights to free speech and religion. The agreement stops the IRS from punishing the plaintiff churches for talking about politics during religious services, as long as it’s tied to their faith. This matches how the IRS has often ignored such speech in the past.The deal ends the case, with both sides covering their own costs and agreeing not to appeal. The filing says this interpretation avoids clashing with the Constitution’s rules on religious freedom.
Connecting to Clinton’s Legacy
Our April report exposed how a 2000 D.C. court ruling, Branch Ministries v. Rossotti, let the IRS revoke a church’s tax-exempt status for opposing Clinton in 1992. We argued that Clinton’s administration targeted conservative churches while ignoring partisan activities by unions, universities, and groups like the Gates Foundation. The Texas filing supports our point by limiting the IRS’s power to enforce this rule against churches, challenging the unfair precedent set in Branch Ministries.
Why It Matters
This Texas win protects churches from IRS penalties for faith-based political speech, addressing the double standards we highlighted. It builds on a 2024 Supreme Court ruling that reduced the IRS’s authority, as we noted in our report. Churches may now feel bolder to speak out, unlike during the COVID era when fear of IRS action kept many silent.
What’s Next?
The Texas court is expected to approve the agreement soon, finalizing the win. This could lead other churches to fight similar IRS rules or push Congress to change the Johnson Amendment. As we said in April, “the truth has a way of surfacing.” This filing shows Clinton’s IRS policies are losing ground, giving churches a stronger voice.
Churches should not be involved with politics, only with God!