A Centre County judge said he expected to rule by the end of the month on the legality of a central Pennsylvania township's ban on horses, which is being contested by two Amish men who say the ordinance restricts their religious freedom.
Judge David E. Grine is to rule on the constitutionality of a Walker Township ordinance that prevents residents from keeping horses and other livestock in the municipality's most populated areas.
"This case, I think, is a beacon of well-intentioned stupidity that rises to bigotry on behalf of Walker Township," said lawyer James Bryant, who represents the Amish men, Daniel Lee King and Daniel Beiler. "No one was complaining about the horses." King and Beiler, members of the Old Amish Order, live in Nittany, a village of about 300 homes roughly 20 miles northeast of State College. Police cited them in late 2002 for keeping horses, which the Amish use to pull their buggies to religious services.
David Consiglio, lawyer for the Walker Township zoning board, said the men's continuing defiance shows "complete and utter disregard for the law." Appearing at a court hearing Friday, Consiglio said the ban isn't targeted at the Amish but is intended to uphold traditional zoning.