The Amish community sought an exemption “in the name of our Lord,” explaining that their religion forbids the use of such technology. In 2013, Fillmore County adopted an ordinance requiring most homes to have a septic system for the disposal of gray water. Water arrives through a single line and is either pumped by hand or delivered by gravity from an external cistern. The Swartzentruber Amish do not have modern running water in their homes. It’s essentially about plumbing - specifically, the disposal of gray water. Here’s a look at the legal dispute and the traditionalist religious community at the root of it. The Supreme Court ruling said governments can infringe on sincerely held religious beliefs only as a last resort and sent the case back to Minnesota, where the appellate panel ruled that state and local officials “failed to demonstrate a compelling state interest” to justify overriding the Amish families’ religious freedom. Supreme Court reversed court rulings that had required the group to install septic tanks. The state Court of Appeals on Monday found that members of the Swartzentruber Amish community in southeastern Minnesota don’t need to install septic systems to dispose of “gray water,” which is dirty water left from dishwashing, laundry, bathing, and other tasks not involving toilet waste. A long-running religious freedom case has come full circle, with a court ruling this week that a deeply conservative Amish community in Minnesota cannot be threatened with the loss of homes if its members don’t install septic systems to dispose of their bath, laundry and dish water.
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