WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Letter of the Law: No Clergy Costumes in Alabama

Episode Date: October 24, 2025

On this episode of Letter of the Law, host Megan Pidcock talks through the interesting history of an Alabama law that bans dressing up as religious clergy as a costume.

Court is in session with Letter of the Law. Though dressing up as a nun or priest for Halloween may be of questionable taste, depending on how you do it, Alabama makes sure you can't make that mistake by banning Halloween costumes that imitate the clergy. The Code of Alabama reads as follows. Whoever, being in a public place, fraudulently pretends by garb or outward array to be a minister of any religion or nun, priest, rabbi, or other member of the clergy, is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $500 or confinement in the county jail for not more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

The law was passed in 1965. If you recall from your American history lessons, that was the height of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. According to an article by A.L.com, the two were intertwined, and the law was an attempt at opposing Catholic involvement in Martin Luther King Jr.'s peaceful protests. The spring that the law was introduced was the same spring of the Selma to Montgomery protest marches. Days after the law was introduced, 4,000 marchers led by king walked on the Alabama state capital. These marchers included several clergy who had come from out of town to walk in a show of support.

The local Catholic diocese disapproved of these nuns and priests, as the Archbishop, Thomas Toulin, felt they did not fully know the state of Alabama and were contributing to divisiveness. A colleague of his suspected he had a Catholic member of the legislature. pushed the law through as a criticism of these outside clergy members participating in the marches as foot soldiers. Don't be too worried, though, if you have ever or will ever dress as a member of the clergy for Halloween. As to date, there have been no known cases of someone getting fined for it. In fact, Halloween stores in Alabama sell such costumes and have for years. My name is Megan Pitcock, and you've been listening to Letter of the Law on Radio Free Hillsdale

101.7 FM.