Amish Men Jailed After Refusing To Pay Fines For Not Displaying Orange Safety Triangles

In Graves County, Kentucky yesterday, ten Amish men, all members of the Swartzentruber Amish community, were sentenced to jail terms after they refused to pay fines that had been imposed on them for refusing to display orange reflective triangles on their horse-drawn buggies. AP reports that their sentences ranged from 3 to 13 days for fines ranging from $153 to $627. Displaying the bright orange color conflicts with the Amish men's religious beliefs.  In jail the men will wear specially dyed jumpsuits instead of the stand issue orange ones, and the county jail has agreed that mug shots of them will not be taken. The Kentucky legislature is considering a change in the law that would allow the Amish to use gray reflective tape instead of orange triangles. An appeal is pending in the Kentucky Supreme Court in a similar case. (See prior posting.)