On May 8, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued a monumental opinion in Billard v. Charlotte Catholic High School. Senior Judge Harris, joined by Judge Niemeyer, wrote the majority opinion....more
Whether your school is aiming to be more diverse and inclusive or wanting to be in the best possible position to enforce religious tenets, it is important to consult with experienced independent or private school legal...more
In Starkey v. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis, No. 1:19-cv-03153 (S.D. Ind. August 11, 2021), a federal court rejected a Catholic school guidance counselor’s employment discrimination suit, ruling her claims were...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In the most recent decision to consider the intersection between religion and employment law, Massachusetts’s highest court in DeWeese-Boyd v. Gordon Coll., No. SJC-12988., 2021 WL 841932 (Mass. Mar. 05,...more
Even after the Supreme Court’s recent decision that the so-called “ministerial exception” barred employment discrimination claims brought by a pair of Catholic school teachers, lower courts continue to wrestle with the scope...more
In an opinion letter issued January 8, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) addressed whether the ministerial exception allows a private religious daycare and preschool to pay teachers in a manner that would not comply...more
The EEOC recently released a draft of its updated guidance on religious discrimination, which – if adopted and finalized – could alter the legal standards applied in workplace disputes for the nation’s employers generally and...more
Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, 591 U.S. ___, 2020 WL 3808420 (2020) - Agnes Morrissey-Berru and Kristen Biel worked as elementary school teachers at, respectively, Our Lady of Guadalupe School and St....more
On July 8, 2020, the United States Supreme Court decided two cases addressing employers’ religious freedoms in very different contexts: one concerning whether religious school teachers could challenge adverse employment...more
On July 8, 2020, the United States Supreme Court expanded the “ministerial exception” – a legal doctrine that exempts religious employers from certain discrimination laws in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru. ...more
Key Points •The ministerial exception protects religious employers from government interference in internal employment disputes involving the selection, supervision, and removal of individuals who play an important role...more
On July 8, 2020, the Supreme Court analyzed the ministerial exception for employees who allege employment discrimination claims for the first time in nearly a decade when it issued its decision in Our Lady of Guadalupe School...more
Although the issue of whether someone can sue a church for employment discrimination doesn’t come up often, in Our Lady Of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, the Supreme Court expanded the ministerial exception that...more
On July 8, 2020, in a 7–2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru expanded the “ministerial exception,” which allows religious organizations to avoid federal anti-discrimination...more
On July 8, 2020, in a 7-2 opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court in Our Lady of Guadalupe Sch. v. Morrissey-Berru issued a victory for religious employers, seeking to limit the application of federal anti-discrimination laws. The...more
On July 8, 2020 the United States Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. civil rights laws barring discrimination on the job do not apply to most lay teachers at religious elementary schools. The decision extends earlier Supreme...more
On July 8, 2020, the Supreme Court gave religious employers wide leeway to hire and fire employees whose duties include religious instruction without having to worry about employment discrimination suits. In a 7-to-2...more
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, Nos. 19-267 and 19-348 (July 8, 2020), that the First Amendment ministerial exception doctrine bars courts from entertaining an age or...more
By a vote of 7-2, the U.S. Supreme Court held on July 8, 2020, that the “ministerial exception” under the religion clauses of the First Amendment forecloses employment-discrimination claims against religious schools by...more
In Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, 591 U.S. ___, 2020 WL 3808420 (2020) (“Morrissey-Berru”), the United States Supreme Court provided further guidance on the application of the “ministerial exception,” which...more
On July 8, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States issued two new opinions applying First Amendment religious rights to employers. The first case, Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, No. 19-267 (July 8,...more
Does a teacher at a religious school have the right to bring suit for employment discrimination against her employer in civil court? Or does the U.S. Constitution’s Freedom of Religion Clause shield religious employers from...more
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in another high-profile case, Our Lady Guadalupe School v. Morrissey Berru, expanding the “ministerial exception” to foreclose employment discrimination claims brought by two Catholic...more
On July 8, 2020, the Supreme Court, in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, held that the First Amendment bars courts from considering employment discrimination claims brought by teachers against their faith-based...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In another high-profile religion school case this term, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru that the First Amendment’s Religion Clauses foreclosed the adjudication...more