Funeral directors want U.S. Supreme Court to hear monk casket case

[catholictiger]

Note: I consider this catholic news because it involves a benedictine monastery, while it may better fit in the world news section I thought it would be ok in here. Please move it if it you think it should be moved.

Louisiana’s funeral directors are heading to the U.S. Supreme Court in their fight with the monks of St. Joseph’s Abbey over who can sell caskets in this state, filing an appeal Wednesday that seeks to overturn the monks’ March appellate victory.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval’s 2011 ruling striking down a state law that made it a crime for anyone other than a licensed funeral director to sell a casket in Louisiana.

St. Joseph’s Abbey, near Covington, has been making simple cypress caskets to bury its own brothers for decades. In 2007, the abbey formed St. Joseph Woodworks to sell the hand-crafted caskets to the public, an undertaking meant to help pay for the medical and educational needs of its small community of Benedictine monks.

theadvocate.com/home/6546388-125/funeral-directors-want-us-supreme

 

[CarolNoel]

Hope the brothers have funds to fight this and win again.

 

[LisaA]

Note: I consider this catholic news because it involves a benedictine monastery, while it may better fit in the world news section I thought it would be ok in here. Please move it if it you think it should be moved.

theadvocate.com/home/6546388-125/funeral-directors-want-us-supreme

I bet we see John Stossel weigh in on this case. Typical of the idiotic regulations that increase costs, restrict competition and deprive consumers of choice…what’s not to hate about a law like this?

Licensing of medical providers makes some sense but selling caskets? Where is the risk except to the funeral directors’ pocketbooks?

Lisa

 

[Inego_de_Loyola]

I’m keeping this in my daily prayers, and I ask others here to do the same. My old pastor used to volunteer at the abbey after his retirement, but he died this past week, and I’m assuming he was buried in one of these caskets.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Funeral director charged me $200 to transport flowers from the chapel to the grave at my mother’s funeral. It was about 200 yards on the same property. What a racket!

 

[AnastasiaRomano]

Hope the brothers have funds to fight this and win again.

the Institute for Justice is representing the monks… In previous articles, I think I’ve seen that they are doing it pro bono. I hope that is the case!

I also hope the Abbey wins.

 

[Inego_de_Loyola]

I’m praying for the monks, and I hope we’ll all keep them in our prayers. They just recently buried my childhood pastor in one of these caskets.