Tax exempt status on Bibles unconstitutional

BATON ROUGE, La. — A 1996 law that exempted religious groups from paying sales tax on Bibles and religious instructional materials is unconstitutional, Judge Ginger Berrigan ruled in a challenge brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Berrigan also struck down a 1998 law that exempted religious retreats and camps from sales tax. Berrigan ruled that both laws violated the constitutional principle of separation of church and state. The state’s Department of Revenue says it won’t appeal the rulings.