The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a Texas law exempting religious publications from sales tax is unconstitutional.
Fourteen other states have similar laws, but it was not immediately clear whether the sales of Jewish religious books, magazines and newspapers in those states would be affected.
Steven Freeman, director of the legal affairs department of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, heralded the decision as a “victory for the separation between church and state.” His group and the American Jewish Congress filed friend-of-the-court briefs opposing the exemption.
Dennis Rapps, executive director of the National Jewish Commission on Law and Public Affairs, which defends the legal rights of Orthodox Jews, said he was unhappy about the decision.
Rapps said the ruling was a departure from the court’s previous affirmations of a state government’s right to accommodate religious groups.
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