MILWAUKEE (AP)  Nearly seven months after defying a prohibition on endorsing candidates from the pulpit, 33 churches across the country are still waiting to learn whether the Internal Revenue Service will take action against them.

The goal of a Sept. 28 event called Pulpit Freedom Sunday was to start a legal fight and ultimately overturn regulations that prevent places of worship from supporting or opposing candidates for office. But a conservative legal group that organized the effort says the agency has yet to notify the churches of any investigation.

Legal experts suggest a number of possibilities: The I.R.S. has nothing to gain from a costly and mainly symbolic battle, it has limited resources or it could still be deciding how to respond.

On Sept. 28, participating pastors urged worshipers to vote according to conservative views on abortion and same-sex marriage. Several endorsed the Republican presidential candidate, Senator John McCain.