The en banc court is reconsidering whether Washington may apply state anti-discrimination law to a Christian homeless ministry’s faith-based hiring rules.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is set to rehear a major religious-employment case Tuesday involving Yakima Union Gospel Mission and Washington state.
The case centers on whether the Christian ministry may require employees in non-ministerial positions to share and follow its religious beliefs. Yakima Union Gospel Mission operates shelters, health clinics, meal programs and addiction-recovery services while describing its work as part of its Christian mission.
A three-judge Ninth Circuit panel ruled unanimously in January that the First Amendment’s church-autonomy doctrine protected the ministry’s ability to hire co-religionists for non-ministerial roles when the hiring decision is based on sincerely held religious beliefs.
In June, the Ninth Circuit voted to rehear the case en banc, which vacated the panel’s January opinion. Oral argument is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Pacific on Sept. 29 in San Francisco.
The ministry argues that requiring it to employ people who reject its religious standards would interfere with its faith and mission. Washington officials contend the state’s anti-discrimination law applies to non-ministerial employment and protects workers from discrimination based on protected characteristics.
The court’s eventual ruling could clarify how far the First Amendment’s church-autonomy doctrine extends beyond clergy and other ministerial employees.
Related: Federal Court Rules Faith-Based Ministries Can Hire According to Their Beliefs
