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A federal judge in Texas on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the 70-year-old ban on political activity by churches, abruptly ending a case that conservative Christian groups had hoped could free pastors to endorse candidates from the pulpit.<\/p>\n
Last summer, those groups seemed close to a long-sought victory. The Trump administration agreed to settle the case, and said in court papers<\/a> that the ban should not apply to endorsements made during religious services. That seemed to allow churches a way to make political statements without risking their tax-exempt status.<\/p>\n The government asked Judge J. Campbell Barker, an appointee of President Trump, to approve that settlement and support its arguments in favor of a loophole.<\/p>\n But instead, Judge Barker dismissed<\/a> the entire case on technical grounds, finding that the plaintiffs had not followed the right procedures for bringing a tax-related suit. A lawyer for the plaintiffs said they would appeal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Tuesday\u2019s ruling left significant uncertainty about how \u2014 or whether \u2014 the Trump administration would enforce the ban on politicking by churches now.<\/p>\n The administration has not repudiated its statement from last summer arguing in favor of a loophole. But the Internal Revenue Service, which polices tax-exempt groups, still warns on its website<\/a> that churches must stay out of politics.<\/p>\n The I.R.S. did not respond to questions about the ruling on Tuesday.<\/p>\n The head of the Family Research Council, a conservative group that has worked to challenge the law for years, expressed disappointment in the ruling.<\/p>\n \u201cJudge J. Campbell Barker has, regrettably, sidestepped an opportunity, on the 250th anniversary of our nation, to correct a wrong that strikes at the very heart of American freedom,\u201d Tony Perkins, the group\u2019s president, wrote in a social media post on Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n Previously, the group had planned to mobilize thousands of pastors for potential endorsements ahead of the midterm elections, but those efforts were now on hold, Mr. Perkins said in an interview. He said he was \u201cvery optimistic\u201d about an appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, which has sought to keep the ban in place, praised the dismissal of the lawsuit as \u201ca victory for church-state separation and the integrity of charitable organizations and elections.\u201d<\/p>\n