Lawyers for an accused Amish beard-cutting mob are arguing that the federal hate crimes law under which the Ohio men are being prosecuted is unconstitutional, for religious reasons.In a motion on Monday, attorneys for the defendants argued that the hate crimes charges should be dismissed because “the alleged intra-religious actions between private individuals do not fall within the statute or federal authority. The actions are not alleged to have been taken out of prejudice or hatred against the Amish religion. Rather, the alleged acts are doctrine-based Old Order Amish beliefs.”
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=100753