WASHINGTON, D.C. (NBC) – There has been another victory for religious freedom after the Supreme Court on Wednesday strengthened legal protections that shield religious institutions from job discrimination lawsuits.
In a 7 to 2 vote, the court bolstered the notion of separation of church and state, with Justice Samuel Alito Writing: “Judicial review of the way in which religious schools discharge those responsibilities would undermine the independence of religious institutions in a way that the First Amendment does not tolerate.”
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in a dissent for herself and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, said the ruling is based on a simplistic approach that “has no basis in law and strips thousands of schoolteachers of their legal protections.”
Wednesday’s ruling involved Roman Catholic schools in Southern California that were sued after deciding not to renew contracts for two teachers. One sued for age discrimination and another for violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act after their contracts were not renewed.
Wednesday’s ruling was the court’s second this term intended to expand religious freedom. In a previous 5-4 decision, the justices said states cannot exclude religiously affiliated schools from state scholarship programs.
The court earlier already agreed to hear another religious freedom case during its next term that begins in the fall. The justices will take up a dispute between the city of Philadelphia and a Catholic charity over the suitability of same-sex parents to provide foster care.
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