Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that teachers at religious schools can be exempt from the nation’s employment discrimination laws. In response, Maggie Siddiqi, director of the Faith and Progressive Policy Initiative at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
Nobody deserves to be discriminated against at their workplace. Today’s ruling means religious institutions who wish to fire or refuse to hire school teachers or other staff based on age, race, sexual orientation, or other discriminatory factors now have legal cover for doing so. This decision could strip away the right of millions of workers at religious institutions—from teachers to health care professionals—to sue employers if they experience employment discrimination. These critical legal rights should not be denied to workers.
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