Posted on 09/15/2021 7:10:39 PM PDT by marshmallow
The Diocese of Charlotte has said the law and religious freedom precedent are on its side, despite a federal judge’s ruling that a Catholic high school illegally discriminated when it said it would no longer hire a substitute teacher who announced that he would contract a same-sex marriage.
The ruling both applies a new Supreme Court decision that defines sex discrimination to include sexual orientation, and holds that other religious freedom rulings do not apply.
“We respectfully disagree with the district court’s decision and are considering next steps,” the Charlotte diocese said Sept. 4. “The First Amendment, federal law, and recent Supreme Court decisions all recognize the rights of religious organizations to make employment decisions based on religious observance and preference. They do not — and should not — compel religious schools to employ teachers who publicly contradict their teachings.”
The diocese said its Catholic schools “exist to provide high-quality education and transmit the Catholic faith to the next generation.”
“Like all religious schools, Catholic schools are permitted to employ educators who support our Church’s teachings and will not publicly oppose them,” said its statement.
The plaintiff, Lonnie Billard, in October 2014 had posted to social media his intention to contract a same-sex marriage. He had worked as a full-time faculty member teaching drama and English at Charlotte Catholic High School from 2001. He retired in 2012 and became a long-term substitute teacher, working more than a dozen weeks a year.
In December 2014, an assistant principal at the school then told him he would no longer be hired as a substitute teacher.
U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn said the Diocese of Charlotte and the diocese’s Charlotte Catholic High School illegally discriminated against the plaintiff on the basis of sex under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The federal.......
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicnewsagency.com ...
Judge Cogburn is, of course, an Obama appointee.
No, the FedGov cannot interfere with “the free practice thereof”. It does not matter if you wish to eat peyote in a kiva, worship Shiva in a temple, teach your kids about Jesus’s teachings in a school or celebrate Shabbat at your synagogue. The government has no say. Period. End of sentence.
This will get overturned. Private religious schools have broad exemption under the ministerial exemption. The US Supreme Court affirmed this just over a year ago.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe_School_v._Morrissey-Berru
Yep, you are correct. This is another example of the politicization of Federal District courts. The ignore binding precedent to make political statements.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.