A hundred-year old Michigan law that it seems no one can remember ever being used has been challenged in federal court by an Ypsilanti clergyman who claims that it violates his free speech. The statute, MCL §168.931(1)(e), reads:
A priest, pastor, curate, or other officer of a religious society shall not for the purpose of influencing a voter at an election, impose or threaten to impose upon the voter a penalty of excommunication, dismissal, or expulsion, or command or advise the voter, under pain of religious disapproval.
Dr. Levon Yuille, pastor of The Bible Church in Ypsilanti, Michigan filed this lawsuit (PDF) claiming that the law subjects him to prosecution:
Pursuant to his sincerely held religious beliefs, Pastor Yuille advises voters, including those voters who are members of his church, that to vote for a candidate that publicly supports abortion and gay marriage, such as President Barack Obama, is to act contrary to God’s Word, it is a grave sin, it is looked upon with religious disapproval, and it could endanger their soul and separate them from the body of Christ.
Michigan attorney general Bill Schuette has filed an answer to the lawsuit.
