The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday rightly upheld First Amendment rights to religious freedom in two companion cases involving Catholic schools, Attorney General Curtis Hill said today. He previously joined a brief on behalf of Indiana advocating for such a decision in support of religious schools.
“Religious freedom is among our most fundamental American liberties,†Attorney General Hill said. “There’s a good reason that James Madison, in drafting the Bill of Rights, placed religious freedom first in the list of guaranteed rights, and we must continue to stand resolute in defense of these freedoms yet today.â€
The cases decided Wednesday both involved former Catholic-school educators who filed lawsuits claiming they were wrongfully dismissed. The court held that private religious schools have greater autonomy under the First Amendment in hiring and firing decisions than secular schools because of their faith-based mission.
“The religious education and formation of students is the very reason for the existence of most private religious schools,†the court acknowledged, “and thereÂfore the selection and supervision of the teachers upon whom the schools rely to do this work lie at the core of their mission. 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.â€
