Most legal experts, court watchers, and even casual observers would not likely characterize the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit as a bastion of conservative jurisprudence. But, in a recent decision, a panel of that court unanimously rejected the state of Washington’s attempt to force a religious ministry to hire employees whose beliefs contradict those of the ministry.
The right of religious organizations to hire only employees who are aligned with and live out their religious beliefs is a foundational tenet of our Constitution’s protection of religious liberty. The free exercise of religion by individuals, churches, and other faith-based ministries is essential to our founders’ vision of ordered liberty and the bedrock upon which our free civil society rests.
Yakima Union Gospel Mission has served its community for nearly a century. The mission has provided shelter for thousands of people, distributed hundreds of thousands of meals, and assisted countless homeless individuals through its outreach services. This service embodies the vision of America’s founders regarding the role of religion in our nation. When people of faith are free to live it out in their communities, everyone benefits — the homeless are sheltered, the hungry are fed, and the suffering are cared for by their neighbors, who view them as fellow image bearers of God.
Alliance Defending Freedom represented the mission in a lawsuit against Washington state officials who enforce the Washington Law Against Discrimination, which requires the mission to hire individuals who do not agree with or live out its religious beliefs. The state Supreme Court gutted the WLAD’s religious employer exemption, thereby affecting all religious organizations in Washington state, including Yakima Union Gospel Mission.
Hellbound and Down 