Court says religious groups can impose faith conduct standards on IT staff, nurses, and cooks
Religious employers can enforce faith conduct rules on all staff, not just clergy, a federal appeals court ruled this month.
A federal appeals court handed religious organizations a significant victory on January 6, allowing them to require employees in any role to follow religious conduct standards, including rules about sex and marriage.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Union Gospel Mission of Yakima, a Christian nonprofit that operates homeless shelters and recovery programs in Washington state. In Union Gospel Mission of Yakima Washington v. Brown, the court blocked state officials from enforcing anti-discrimination laws against the organization's policy of hiring only people who agree to live according to its religious beliefs.
At the center of the dispute is Union Gospel's requirement that all employees abstain from sexual conduct outside what it calls biblical marriage between one man and one woman. That includes everyone from ministers to IT technicians, operations assistants, nurses, and kitchen workers.
The organization employs about 150 people and was looking to fill more than 50 positions when it filed the lawsuit in 2023. Union Gospel tells job applicants upfront about its faith requirements. Anyone who gets a job offer must sign agreements promising to follow the organization's statement of faith and conduct rules. Applications from people who disagree...
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