U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor of Redford Township church firing

UNITED STATES
Detroit Free Press

[Supreme Court decision via BishopAccountability.org]

By Niraj Warikoo
Detroit Free Press Staff Writer

In a landmark decision hailed by conservative Christians and advocates for religious liberty, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in favor of a Redford Township church’s firing of a teacher.

The case centered on Cheryl Perich, who developed narcolepsy and sought to keep her job, which the church said she no longer could perform.

The court’s ruling upheld the legal principle that houses of worship have what’s called a ministerial exception, meaning they are exempt from some government laws, such as anti-discrimination laws. Such an exception allows the Catholic Church to ban women from being priests, for example.

In a unanimous decision, the court ruled that it was legal for Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School in Redford Township to fire Perich after she complained she was being discriminated against because of a disability.

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