TRENTON, N.J. — A federal judge in New Jersey is scheduled to hear arguments on Wednesday in a case pitting the state against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark over a law that makes it illegal for private religious cemeteries to sell monuments and headstones. The Newark archdiocese in 2013 expanded an “inscription-rights program” to help ensure that it had funds to care for its cemeteries. Under the program, the archdiocese provided the headstone and retained ownership of the monument. On Wednesday, both sides will seek to have the judge throw out the case before it goes to trial. The archdiocese argued in a recent filing that the state allows religious cemeteries to sell plots and community mausoleums and should allow them to sell headstones and monuments as well.

Source: National Post December 06, 2017 05:18 UTC