High court rejects case of Christian group, bisexual lawyer

Earlier DU thread: Supreme Court conservatives say religious groups should be free to hire only like-minded believers

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Source: Associated Press

High court rejects case of Christian group, bisexual lawyer

March 21, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says it won’t review the case of a Seattle-based Christian organization that was sued after declining to hire a bisexual lawyer who applied for a job. A lower court let the case go forward, and the high court said Monday it wouldn’t intervene.

Two justices, Justice Samuel Alito and Justice Clarence Thomas, agreed with the decision not to hear the case at this stage but said that “the day may soon come” when the court needs to confront the issue the case presents.

The case the high court declined to hear involves Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. In addition to providing food and shelter to the homeless the organization offers addiction recovery, job placement and legal services. In 2016 it was looking for an attorney to help staff its legal-aid clinic.

One of the applicants was Matthew Woods, who had volunteered at the clinic for more than three years. Woods identifies as bisexual and was in a same-sex relationship. He was told before he applied that his application would be rejected because the organization’s “code of conduct excludes homosexual activity.” Woods sued, arguing that the organization violated state law by discriminating against him on the basis of his sexual orientation.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-business-washington-samuel-alito-clarence-thomas-84741a3467a157b5e823137aa9fafcc3