For Immediate Release
WITH SUPPORT OF BISHOPS, CATHOLIC PARISHES INTERVENE IN LAWSUIT AGAINST CONCEAL & CARRY LAW
Date: January 26, 2004
Contact: Kelly Griffith, Marketing Manager, 612-492-7514
Email: kgriffith@fredlaw.com
January 26, 2004 - With the express support of their Roman Catholic bishops and the Minnesota Catholic Conference, today six prominent Minnesota parishes became parties in the Ramsey County lawsuit seeking to overturn the so-called "conceal-and-carry law."
The parishes and bishops are:
- The Cathedral of Saint Paul, Saint Paul Most Reverend Harry J. Flynn, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
- The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Crookston Most Reverend Victor H. Balke, Bishop of the Archdiocese of Crookston
- The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary, Duluth Most Reverend Dennis Schnurr, Bishop of the Diocese of Duluth
- The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, New Ulm Most Reverend John C. Nienstedt, Bishop of the Diocese of New Ulm
- Church of Saint Mary Help of Christians, Saint Augusta Most Reverend John F. Kinney, Bishop of the Diocese of Saint Cloud
- Church of Saint John the Evangelist, Rochester Most Reverend Bernard J. Harrington, Bishop of the Diocese of Winona
The lawsuit seeks to have the conceal-and-carry law declared unconstitutional. The parishes allege that the law violates their right to the free exercise of religion and that the law was passed in violation of the "single subject" provision of the Minnesota Constitution.
Legal action against the law has been endorsed by the Minnesota Conferences of the Methodist and UCC churches, as well as by all of the Minnesota Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
A copy of the Catholic parishes' complaint may be obtained at the Fredrikson & Byron website, www.fredlaw.com (see Religious Intervenor's First Amended Complaint).
For comments on the Catholic parishes' action, call Kate Krisik at the Minnesota Catholic Conference, 651-227-8777. David Lillehaug of Fredrikson & Byron (telephone 612-492-7321) represents the parishes.
Fredrikson & Byron is a 170-attorney law firm based in Minneapolis. It has an office in London and affiliates in Mexico City, Warsaw, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. The firm's primary areas of practice include banking, corporate, employment, healthcare, intellectual property, international, litigation, real estate, securities, and tax. We serve a broad range of clients, including multinational corporations, public companies, privately-held businesses, entrepreneurs, government agencies, and family businesses. Fredrikson & Byron's attorneys also work with individuals on estate planning, family law, and immigration matters.