Benedictines join immigration lawsuit
August 12, 2011
By Justin Graves The Cullman Times

CULLMAN — Two local religious organizations have joined a class-action lawsuit against the state concerning Alabama’s new immigration law.

A lawsuit against the state that was filed by Alabama’s Roman Catholic, Episcopal and Methodist bishops was amended Thursday morning to include the Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart and the Benedictine Society of Alabama, which is located at St. Bernard Abbey.

The initial suit by Alabama’s Roman Catholic, Episcopal and Methodist bishops was filed Tuesday in an effort to overturn the state’s new immigration law, which is set to go into effect on Sept. 1. The U.S. Justice Department, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center also filed suits against the state.

Those cases have been combined into one class-action suit that will be heard by U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Blackburn on Aug. 24.

The grounds for the suit center around the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects every citizens’ right to freedom of religion.

According to Sister Lynn McKenzie, co-counsel for the two local religious organizations, Alabama’s immigration law violates that First Amendment right.

“We feel this law is unconstitutional,â€