Just over a month before two more Grayson County Amish men will be tried for failure to display the triangular slow-moving vehicle sign on their horse-drawn buggies, the Kentucky Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeals of a group of Graves County men who were convicted on similar charges.

Eight of the nine appealing Amish served jail time in Graves County following their refusal to pay the fines associated with their convictions, while the eighth, like Grayson County’s Daniel Yoder, was spared jail time after someone stepped in to pay the fine on his behalf.

The men are being represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, and are arguing that they should not be required to use the typical slow-moving vehicle signs because the orange coloration and triangular symbol are both in conflict with their religious beliefs.

They feel that, instead, a compromise could be made which might include the use of more ‘modest’ colored reflective tapes, such as grey or white, or the use of lanterns.

Representative Ron Crimm, a republican from Louisville, has already prefiled a bill that would potentially make such a compromise possible.

In the meantime, however, Grayson County residents Joe Hostetler and Ben Yoder are set to appear in district court on January 27 for refusing to follow the current laws outlining the required use of the conventional slow-moving symbol.

If Hostetler and Yoder meet the same fate as the county’s first Amish man tried on these charges, they can expect to be ordered to pay fines or join the ranks of the Graves County men who have served jail time in an effort to uphold their religious codes of conduct.