Amish Men Sentenced To Jail For Refusing To Pay Fines

In Mayfield, Kentucky yesterday, a state trial court judge sentenced nine men who are members of the Old Order Swartzentruber Amish sect to terms between 3 and 10 days in jail for refusal to pay fines imposed on them.  The fines of $148 to $600 grew out of defendants' refusal to display bright orange-red safety triangles on the backs of their horse-drawn buggies. According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, the defendants believe paying the fine would amount to complying with the law that violates their religious principles against wearing bright colors or trusting in man-made symbols for their safety. In June the Kentucky Court of Appeals upheld their sentences (see prior posting), and an appeal is pending in the Kentucky Supreme Court. Graves District Court Judge Deborah Hawkins Cook has 44 additional cases involving similar charges still on her docket. The county jail has ordered special dark-colored jump suits for the Amish men because of their religious objections to wearing the usual orange ones. One of the nine defendants avoided jail when a friend paid his fine.