Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr joined 17 states late last week in filing a brief before the U.S. Supreme Court to support the First Amendment rights of Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission.
The Mission is seeking Supreme Court review of a recent ruling by the Washington State Supreme Court that denied the faith-based charity’s First Amendment right to hire employees who share its faith.
This, according to a press release that members of Carr’s staff published last week.
“Attorney General Carr and his colleagues argue that the Washington Supreme Court erred in limiting First Amendment protections to hiring decisions related solely to ministers. Rather, the First Amendment more broadly protects a religious nonprofit’s exercise of religion, including the right to hire regular employees of a common faith,” Carr’s press release said.
“As the Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized, that right is vital to church autonomy and the free exercise of religion.”
Attorney General Carr was joined by the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia, the press release said.
This month Carr joined a coalition of 16 states to stop the Biden administration’s “Interim Guidance,” which Carr said “drastically and intentionally” curtails enforcement of immigration laws.
The policy halts nearly all deportations and immigration-related arrests, including for those convicted of dangerous aggravated felonies. The coalition is asking the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to deny the Biden administration’s request for a stay pending appeal. This, so that U.S. President Joe Biden’s refusal to enforce immigration laws will stop while the administration’s appeal is ongoing.
“These actions by the Administration are encouraging illegal border crossings and putting our nation at risk,” Carr said.
“We joined this coalition because our national security must be ensured, and the enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws is a critical component of keeping all Americans safe.”
Joining Carr were attorneys general from Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia.
– – –
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Supreme Court” by Marielam1 CC BY-SA 4.0.
