Supreme Court Takes Up Church Employment Disputes and the “Ministerial Exception”

In Brief: The Supreme Court Takes Up Church Employment Disputes and the “Ministerial Exception” - Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life: On Oct. 5, 2011, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case that could help determine how much latitude religious organizations have in making employment decisions about clergy and others who perform religious duties. The case centers on a legal doctrine known as the “ministerial exception.” The Supreme Court has never expressly ruled on the doctrine, but judges in lower federal courts have used it to exempt religious organizations from anti-discrimination laws and other statutes that regulate how employers treat their workers.

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