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Regulation Nation: State sues monks for making caskets

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    Peter Johnson, Jr. weighs in

  • Duration 3:17
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Wait until you hear this one in keeping with the tradition.

The monks at Saint Joseph abbey in Louisiana live off the profits from goods that they make.

In their case they make wooden -- however the Louisiana state board of him bombers and funeral directors say that.

Is against the law join us right now -- stories Fox News legal analyst Peter Johnson here Peter until just a few years ago they hadn't made.

The caskets for the public but then.

Their became apparent financial necessity and they decided that's good way to make -- They may differ bishops and they made -- from other monks and it's kind of ironic that that Jesus was -- son of a carpenter and a carpenter now the Ed carpenter monks are being banned in the state of the Louisiana.

And and being called criminals yeah for what they do.

They want to sell caskets of -- thousand or 15100 dollars apiece.

Lovely wooden caskets they they make by hand right to the public.

And what happened is that Louisiana and bombers and funeral directors came down I'm like a ton of bricks.

It's that you can't be doing this and they hold -- lead to hearings and then there have been lawsuits.

Back and forth and so.

The end months of benedictine monks about 38 of them -- one in the district court in the federal district court in now it's going to be going to the Circuit Court of Appeals.

And the issue here is should the state of Louisiana the only state in the United States doing this.

Engage in this kind of protectionism.

Almost protecting a monopoly or -- bell chair of these funeral directors that say.

No -- stay out of our business if you want to sell these coffins that you need to have they have a set up to thirty people.

He need to have -- -- bombers license they're saying listen we don't want to bomb.

-- -- -- at a real price now what the FTC said in the past for five or six times wholesale that some folks have engaged in the past well.

You know that the monks a decide they made a decision but you know let's get into this business I think you're invested 200000 dollars.

Of their money in this fancy wood working stuff.

And and so then there was -- immediately a cease and desist letter.

So in Louisiana you can buy casket from Costco or from Wal-Mart Greg but you can't buy it from the monks who live and work in that because.

It if you gonna sell it in state -- you need this whole.

Saying this whole massive investment in this decision that you -- be.

In the funeral business they -- we have an economic necessity right based on Katrina in 2005.

We decided to make an investment here.

We pray.

We Reid -- all day we do acts of kindness acts of grace acts of.

Mercy and we make caskets and if there -- small children who passed away we give them those caskets.

And end and and this is what we choose to -- and so.

Talk about regulation.

Gone nuts -- hadn't been any state or in the United States of America.

This is an example of it I believe that the Circuit Court will decide that -- state can not.

Engaged in this kind of protectionism.

-- is there is no rational basis this is absolutely arbitrary.

And I think the -- are doing the right thing standing up for their rights well let's hope they win their day in court I hope so too and Peter Johnson junior thanks for bringing mr.

you're gonna -- --

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