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Taxes, Churches, and the Political Game

Last week, President Donald Trump reiterated his pledge to eliminate a little-known tax law that bars charities, including churches, from endorsing political candidates. It’s called the Johnson Amendment, and the IRS has rarely enforced it. Proponents say it maintains an important barrier between church and state. Those who oppose it say their free-speech rights are being infringed. Tuesday, we’re talking about the history of the Johnson Amendment and what its erasure could mean for the political landscape.

GUESTS

  • Adam Chodorow is a professor at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, where he specializes in tax law.
  • Steven Green is a law professor and a historian of church and state at Willamette University.
Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.