SEATTLE (WA)
Fāvs News [Pullman WA]
July 16, 2025
By Cassy Benefield
[See also the Etienne v. Ferguson lawsuit.]
The Catholic bishops of Washington state and several priests were in federal court Monday (July 14) asking the court for a preliminary injunction to temporarily block a clergy mandatory-reporting law that will go into effect on July 27.
The injunction would allow the court case Etienne v. Ferguson go to full trial, while keeping confessional privileges at status quo if a decision to their case is not made before July 27.
The Catholic Church — across the Archdiocese of Seattle and the Dioceses of Yakima and Spokane — said in a press release they already require priests to report child abuse and neglect to law enforcement and other state authorities. The only exception would be if the information is learned during the sacrament of confession.
Consequences of the new law
Washington’s new law imposes penalties of up to 364 days in jail, a $5,000 fine and potential civil liability on priests who would uphold the seal of confession and obey long-standing Canon law.
“If priests face criminal sanctions for following their faith and refusing to break the seal of confession, it threatens the freedom of everyone to practice their faith without fear,” said Jean Hill, executive director of the Washington State Catholic Conference. “We are hopeful that the court will protect religious freedom for all Washingtonians.”
The Catholic Church also claims the new law singles out this specific privilege for religious activities but allows protections to remain in place in secular settings.
Supporters of the law push back against that statement because other parts of the Washington State Code don’t allow lawyers, doctors, etc., privilege in conversations that include child abuse and neglect, as well as immediate harm to the person they are talking to or others they are talking about.
WilmerHale and co-counsel Becket and First Liberty Institute represent the lead plaintiffs Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, Bishop Joseph J. Tyson and Bishop Thomas A. Daly, who filed the initial lawsuit earlier this summer.