Christian Seattle homeless mission turns to Supreme Court after ruling strips away employment discretion

While the city of Seattle is ravaged by homelessness, a Christian group seeking to help people in need struggles to find the opportunity to hire those who share their faith and message.

The Union Gospel homeless mission in Seattle declined to hire a solicitor who was bisexual and had a relationship with a man – in violation of the mission’s religious requirements. She is now turning to the U.S. Supreme Court after the Washington Supreme Court ruled that it violated the Washington Anti-Discrimination Act (WLAD), claiming the mission was protected by the law’s religious exception.

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“Although Washington’s Title VII analog explicitly excludes nonprofit religious organizations from its definition of ’employer’ and has done so since the law was passed over 50 years ago, the court found the legal exception unconstitutional when applied to a nonprofit organization trying to hire fellow believers – and effectively rewriting the law, “the mission argued in a petition to the Supreme Court earlier this month.

The Washington Supreme Court ruling limited the applicability of the religious nonprofit exception to a “ministerial exception,” which does not apply to lawyers. As a result, the Mission would not be legally allowed to discriminate against someone because of a homosexual relationship (the Mission also prohibits employees from having premarital sex or extramarital affairs). The mission argued that it was important even for lawyers who work for them to get their religious message across.

“Staff attorneys are the primary point of contact and form ongoing relationships with Mission customers by working with Mission officers,” the petition reads. “Like all employees, lawyers talk about their faith, often pray with customers and tell them about Jesus. … They also attend regular mission services, prayer meetings, staff meetings (including prayer and devotionals), training courses, and other events. “

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Meanwhile, the mission alleges that applicant, Matthew Woods, only applied in protest after learning of the conduct of life, and in his cover letter requested the mission to “change” its practices. Woods said in his application that he was not active in any local church or, as the mission requested, provided the information for a pastor.

Woods had volunteered for the mission while he was a law school student and had signed his Creed at the time. When inquiring about the position of the personnel attorney, he revealed his same-sex relationship and learned that it was a problem. Woods claims that legal work is “completely independent of” [the mission’s] religious practices or activities “and that the Mission therefore unlawfully discriminates against him on the basis of his sexual orientation.

The mission argues that the obligation to hire someone who does not share their beliefs hinders their practice of religion by depriving them of the ability to have a consistent ideology.

“The exception is crucial for free exercise to flourish; after all, the purpose of a religious nonprofit will be undermined if it is forced to hire those who undermine the group’s religious beliefs, ”it said.

Without the freedom to rent exclusively from their religion, the mission argues that it could no longer serve its stated purpose.

“For Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission – which is primarily a ‘gospel’ mission – the Washington Supreme Court’s rejection of the Doctrine of the Faith is an existential threat,” it said. “If the mission cannot hire fellow believers, it must make the untenable decision to deny their faith or to end the evangelization of their homeless neighbors.”

As of May, the homeless population in Seattle was estimated at around 12,000 people.

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The issue of ministerial exemption for religious organizations from discrimination claims was at the center of two cases heard by the Supreme Court last year. The decision, which covered both cases, extended the leave not only to clergymen but also to other employees who perform religious functions, such as clergy. B. Teachers in religious schools.

The Supreme Court did not specifically define which jobs were covered by the exception, stating that “what a worker does” is more important than his title.

Fox News’ Dan Springer contributed to this report.