IRS’ Church Political Speech Deal Faces Nonprofit’s Objection

The Internal Revenue Service’s proposed consent decree with religious organizations to allow churches to speak about political campaigns without losing their nonprofit status faced opposition Thursday from an advocacy group seeking to stop the accord.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a Washington nonprofit, filed a motion to intervene in the litigation and provide “timely arguments against” the proposed decree between the IRS and the National Religious Broadcasters and other religious groups challenging the federal tax code’s 1954 Johnson Amendment.

Under the proposed decree filed by the parties July 8, the IRS said that a church’s good faith ...