Religious Freedom

In a victory for religious freedom in America, a federal court today issued a preliminary injunction against the Commonwealth of Kentucky for unlawfully blocking efforts by the Ark Encounter theme park developer, Answers in Genesis (“AiG”), to participate in the Kentucky Tourism Development Program. The federal court found “that the Commonwealth’s exclusion of AiG from participating in the program for the reasons stated – i.e., on the basis of AiG’s religious beliefs, purpose, mission, message, or conduct, is a violation of AiG’s rights under the First Amendment to the federal Constitution” (p. 70). The judge has ordered the state to move forward in processing AiG’s application for the available tax rebate incentives that would become effective after the Ark opens and is operating. See More >

Answers in Genesis (AiG), developer of the Ark Encounter theme park in Williamstown, Kentucky, has filed a federal lawsuit against Kentucky state officials for denying the park participation in the state’s incentive program to receive a future sales tax rebate. The suit asserts that the state’s action has violated a number of constitutional and statutory provisions under federal and state law. See More >