Leader of Amish Beard-Cutting Gang, Free From Hate Crime Charge, Receives Reduced Sentence

Without a doubt, the best religion story of 2011/2012 happenedwhen a gang ofAmish vigilantes illegally entered the homes ofvarious brethrenwhom they accused of doctrinal impurity and forcibly cutthe victims’beards. It didn’t hurt the news value (or the comedyquotient) that the gang leader was a man named Samuel Mullet.

Mulleteventually receivedaneye-popping, frankly ridiculous prison sentence of 15 years, mostly because the prosecutors presented his admittedly inexcusablebehavior as a hate cri...