The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled 4-3 that teachers in religious schools are not entitled to the protection of the state's employment discrimination laws. Highlighting a good reason to oppose school vouchers – they send tax money to employers whose religious liberty protections leave them unbound from some civil rights laws – the decision seems to acknowledge the difficulty in distinguishing between the secular and arms of a religious institution. AP has more:
Justice Michael Gableman said all employees whose positions are closely linked to the religious mission of their employers cannot make claims like age, gender and racial discrimination under the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act. In the past, courts had generally only exempted religious leaders like ordained clergy and ministers from such laws.
Dissenting Justice Patrick Crooks said the decision "extends a free pass to religious schools to discriminate against their lay employees." He said the ruling also jeopardizes the legality of Milwaukee's school vouchers program, a claim rejected by the majority.
You can read the opinion here.
