Religious Discrimination Articles

Religious employers, the ministerial exception and single moms -- again!

webmaster@elinfonet.com (Employment Law Information Network) — Mon, 21 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

I wonder if there is a recognized legal specialty in the area of unwed-pregnant-moms-and-religious-schools-discrimination law. If so, I think I will qualify very soon. Happy belated Mother's Day?

Religious Accommodation Issues for the Health Care Employer: Termination of Pregnancy and Related Issues (pdf)

webmaster@elinfonet.com (Employment Law Information Network) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

Health care employees who object to providing pa- tient care for women seeking an abortion have long presented a thorny issue for health care em- ployers. A recent settlement in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey is a reminder that this is- sue continues to raise tricky questions. Nonetheless, a careful employer can successfully navigate the issue and avoid common pitfalls associated with walking the tightrope between accommodating an employee�s reli- gious beliefs without compromising the integrity of the health care employer�s mission.

Religious employers, the ministerial exception, and pregnant women

webmaster@elinfonet.com (Employment Law Information Network) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

With Easter and Passover almost upon us, what better topic than a new case on the ministerial exception to Title VII?

Supreme Court Upholds Ministerial Exception in Discriminatory Termination Lawsuit

webmaster@elinfonet.com (Employment Law Information Network) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

On January 11, 2012, the United States Supreme Court ruled that a "ministerial exception" to employment discrimination laws bars certain employees of religious purpose entities from bringing employment discrimination lawsuits against their employers (Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & Sch. v. EEOC, No. 10-533).

Supreme Court Holds that ‘Ministerial Exception’ Protects Church from Teacher’s Retaliation Claim

webmaster@elinfonet.com (Employment Law Information Network) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

In a significant, unanimous decision last week, the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed that a “ministerial exception” bars employment discrimination actions brought by employees who fall within this exception against religious employers. Relying upon the “religion clauses” of the First Amendment, the Supreme Court held that the exception barred the retaliation claim of a teacher who was also a commissioned minister. Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. E.E.O.C.

Supreme Court Addresses "Ministerial Exception" to Discrimination Laws

webmaster@elinfonet.com (Employment Law Information Network) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Executive Summary: On January 11, 2012, the Supreme Court issued what is arguably one of its most significant religious liberty decisions in two decades. The Supreme Court unanimously held that a teacher at a Lutheran School could not maintain an action under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) arising out of her discharge. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the court, in Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, et al., 565 U.S. ___, No. 10-553 (2012), stated that the "ministerial" exception to the application of such employment discrimination laws was grounded in the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment and should be applied to this teacher because she was a minister within the meaning of the "ministerial" exception.

U.S. Supreme Court on Ministerial Exception to Title VII

webmaster@elinfonet.com (Employment Law Information Network) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The U.S. Supreme Court decided for the first time that there is a "ministerial exception" to anti-discrimination laws such as the ADA. The lower courts for many years recognized that exception.

Supreme Court Strengthens Exception Barring Employment Discrimination Suits Against Religious Entities

webmaster@elinfonet.com (Employment Law Information Network) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision has reinforced the protections afforded to religious organizations against employment discrimination lawsuits. In Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC, (pdf) the Court unanimously held that the so-called “ministerial exception” included in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other employment law statutes prevents a former religious school teacher who taught a full secular curriculum as well as a daily course on religion and regularly led students in prayer and worship – from bringing ADA claims against her employer, as she qualified as a ministerial employee even if the majority of her duties involved secular instruction.

Accommodation for Healthcare Employees Objecting to Abortion-Related Procedures

webmaster@elinfonet.com (Employment Law Information Network) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Healthcare employees who object to providing patient care for women seeking an abortion have long presented a thorny issue for healthcare employers. A recent settlement in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey is a reminder that this issue continues to raise tricky questions. Nonetheless, a careful employer can successfully navigate these issues and avoid common pit-falls.

"Ministerial Exception" Bars Ministers’ Discrimination Claims, U.S. Supreme Court Rules

webmaster@elinfonet.com (Employment Law Information Network) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously has recognized the "ministerial exception" under the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment and barred employment discrimination suits brought on behalf of ministers against church or religious organizations.