Religion and Politics

Justices Rule Teachers at Religious Schools Aren’t Protected by Fair Employment Laws

NPR’s Nina Totenberg reports, “The U.S. Supreme Court has carved out a major exception to the nation’s fair employment laws. In a 7-2 vote, the court ruled on Wednesday that the country’s civil rights laws barring discrimination on the job do not apply to most lay teachers at religious elementary schools.” Two parochial school teachers brought the case. One alleged she was fired after asking for time off for breast cancer treatment, a termination that would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. The other alleged age discrimination. University of Virginia Law Professor Douglas Laycock, who signed a brief supporting the religious schools, told Totenberg that the decision may result in some injustices and discrimination against teachers. But, he added, We tolerate the occasional abuses because the cost of judges and juries second-guessing every personnel decision … are on the whole much greater.”

Read at NPR

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