IRS says churches can endorse political candidates to congregations

Churches and other houses of worship registered as tax-exempt nonprofits can endorse political candidates to their congregations, the IRS said on Monday.

The decision, first reported in The New York Times, was communicated in a court filing intended to settle a lawsuit filed by two Texas churches and a group of Christian broadcasters.

501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations have long been prohibited from endorsing candidates or otherwise intervening in campaigns for political offices as a condition of their tax-exempt status.