For Immediate Release

Religious Institutions Return To Court Against Reenacted Conceal & Carry Law

Date: August 1, 2005
Contact: Kelly Griffith, Marketing Manager, 612-492-7514
Email: kgriffith@fredlaw.com

Minneapolis, MN August 1, 2005 - The churches that led two successful challenges to the so-called "Conceal & Carry Law" have commenced a new lawsuit against the law as reenacted by the 2005 Legislature. The new case, venued in Hennepin County District Court, alleges that the reenacted law violates religious freedom.

The two plaintiffs are:

• Edina Community Lutheran Church, Edina, Minnesota, represented by David Lillehaug of Fredrikson & Byron. The Edina church was the lead plaintiff in a Hennepin County lawsuit that obtained a temporary injunction against the previous version of the law on religious freedom grounds.
• Unity Church Unitarian, St. Paul, Minnesota, represented by Marshall Tanick, Mansfield Tanick & Cohen. Unity Church was the first plaintiff in a Ramsey County lawsuit in which the previous version of the law was declared unconstitutional as having been passed in an illegal manner.

The religious institutions also served papers seeking an injunction against certain provisions of the reenacted law.

Attorney Tanick commented: "Even after an injunction was issued against the previous version of the law, the 2005 Legislature reenacted it and ran roughshod over the rights of religious institutions. So, the religious institutions must return to court to enforce the Minnesota Constitution."

Attorney Lillehaug explained his client's strategy. "While hundreds of religious organizations support this case, to move it along more quickly two churches are taking the lead. If we obtain an injunction, we will ask the Attorney General to agree that the injunction is for the benefit of all religious institutions in the state."

The case has been assigned to Judge LaJune Thomas Lange. A press advisory will be issued when Judge Lange sets a date for the injunction hearing.

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. The firm's web site is www.fredlaw.com.