Fillmore County Amish gray water case petitions U.S. Supreme Court
March 2, 2021
Members of the Fillmore County Swartzentruber Amish community have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case on whether the government can force them to install a septic system for the disposal of bath, laundry and dish water on their rural Fillmore County farms when it conflicts with their religious beliefs.
In a petition filed on Jan. 20, 2021, by attorney Brian Lipford, Ammon Swartzentruber, Menno Mast, Amos Mast and Sam Miller ask the high court to consider two questions under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act: Does the government have a compelling interest in regulating the disposal of "gray water," which includes laundry, bath and dishwater; and, is a septic system the least restrictive method when 20 states allow mulch basin systems?
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