Ministers could face jail time for refusing to officiate gay wedding
Donald and Evelyn Knapp, ordained ministers of the Hitching Post Wedding Chapel in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, are being threatened by their city with jail time and up to a $1,000 fine for refusing to perform same-sex weddings, Fox News reports.
Since the chapel is registered as a "religious corporation," city officials say the Knapps must comply with a local nondiscrimination ordinance, according to Fox.
Same-sex marriages commenced in Idaho on Oct. 15, and the Knapps declined to perform such a service two days later. Jeremy Tedesco of Alliance Defending Freedom is representing the Knapps, whom he said "are in fear that if they exercise their First Amendment rights, they will be cited, prosecuted, and sent to jail."
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The Knapps could face up to 180 days in jail for refusing to perform gay wedding ceremonies.
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