Attorney General Raúl Labrador has joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general to support the Union Gospel Mission's right to make employment decisions based on religious beliefs. The coalition submitted an amicus brief to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that the nonprofit religious organization should have broad authority over its hiring practices.
The case, Union Gospel Mission of Yakima Washington v. Ferguson, centers on whether the organization can hire employees who share its religious beliefs without interference from state laws. The Washington Supreme Court and former State Attorney General Robert Ferguson had previously interpreted the Washington Law Against Discrimination’s (WLAD) religious exemption as limited to employees directly involved in sharing or teaching religious beliefs.
Attorney General Labrador stated, “The government should have no role in dictating the affairs, management, or mission of any religious organization.” He emphasized that Union Gospel Mission should be able to hire individuals who best represent their values across all positions within the organization.
The church autonomy doctrine supports this stance by allowing religious organizations to govern themselves and make employment decisions free from state interference. This doctrine applies not only to churches and schools but also to organizations with primarily religious purposes and character.
“The Mission’s hiring policy is a quintessential matter of church government,” noted the attorneys general in their brief. They argued that allowing antidiscrimination laws to regulate these decisions would improperly involve the government in matters of religious doctrine and governance.
In addition to Idaho's Attorney General Labrador, attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia joined Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen in leading this legal effort.