Topic
Ministerial Exception
146 published works
Religion Clause
Church Autonomy Doctrine Is Not Broader Than Ministerial Exception in Title VII Cases
In Ference v. Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg, (WD PA, Sept. 30, 2026), a Pennsylvania federal district court refused to dismiss a Title VII suit brought by a secular teacher at…
Religion Clause
Dance Company’s "Ministerial Exception" Defense to Trafficking Claims Rejected at Pleading Stage
Chun-Ko Chang v. Shen Yun Performing Arts, Inc., (SD NY, Aug. 18, 2026), is a class action suit brought by students who also are performers in a Chinese dance company based…
Religion Clause
Ministerial Exception Is No Defense to Child Labor Trafficking Claims
In Zan Sun v. Shen Yun Performing Arts, Inc., (SD NY, May 18, 2026), a New York federal district court held that the ministerial exception doctrine is not a basis for…
GT L&E Blog
California Courts Chart Their Own Course on Ministerial Exception in Wage and Hour Cases
By Ellen Bronchetti, Bailey McCabe Hashim
Recent California appellate decisions are reshaping how religious organizations may need to think about wage and hour exposure.
Religion Clause
Ministerial Exception May Not Apply to Non-Catholic 1st Grade Teacher in Catholic School
In Coates v. Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah, (MD GA, April 6, 2026), a Georgia federal district court refused at this point in the litigation to dismiss on ministerial exception grounds…
Religion Clause
Ministerial Exception Doctrine Does Not Apply Where No Ecclesiastical Questions Are at Issue
In Ehrenkranz v. San Francisco Zen Center, (CA App, March 2,2026), a California state appellate court held that the trial court erred in applying the ministerial exception doctrine to the wage-and-hour…
Wait A Second!
Ministerial exception does not bar plaintiffs from suing their religious employers for a hostile work environment
By secondcircuitcivilrightsblogsecondcircuitcivilrig
The Appellate Division First Department has ruled for the first time in New York that the ministerial exception -- which bars employees working for religious institutions from suing for certain…
Wait A Second!
Plaintiff who was fired for blogging on Gaza loses under the "ministerial exception"
By secondcircuitcivilrightsblogsecondcircuitcivilrig
There is a funny little statute in New York that says you can't fire someone because of their recreational activity. But "recreation activity" does not carry a definition.What it does…
Religion Clause
Ministerial Exception Bars Former Priest’s Title VII Claims
In Obienu v. Archdiocese of New Orleans, (ED LA, Dec. 11, 2025), a Louisiana federal district court held that a former priest's Title VII claims against his archdiocese are barred by…
California Employment Law Update
Ministerial Exception Barred Employee’s Discrimination Claims
By Tony Oncidi
McMahon v. World Vision, Inc., 147 F.4th 959 (9th Cir. 2025) World Vision, a religious organization, revoked a job offer it had made to Aubry McMahon to be a remote customer service…