UNITED STATES
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
WASHINGTON • In a groundbreaking case, the Supreme Court on Wednesday held for the first time that religious employees of a church cannot sue for employment discrimination.
The court’s unanimous decision in a case involving a church and school in Michigan owned and operated by a member congregation of the St. Louis-based Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod was the first time the high court has acknowledged a “ministerial exception” to anti-discrimination laws.
This doctrine — developed in lower court rulings — says the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of religion shields churches and their operations from the reach of such laws when the issue involves religious employees of these institutions.
The ruling does not, however, specify the distinction between a secular employee, who can take advantage of the government’s protection from discrimination and retaliation, and a religious employee, who can’t.
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