The U.S. Supreme Court handed down another victory for religious freedom last week when it ruled that the government should not interfere in religious school decisions about who teaches their religion classes.
The court ruled 7-2 in favor of California Catholic schools that decided not to renew two teachers’ contracts after they said the teachers were not following the schools’ religious missions.
Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito said teaching young people about their faith is “at the very core of the mission” of religious schools, and the government should stay out of hiring decisions based on those missions.
The ruling means religious schools are free to hire and fire teachers who teach or fail to teach basic faith principles to their students. For many religious schools, that includes the sanctity of human life. As a result, if a Christian school discovers that a teacher is promoting abortion, it may fire the teacher and find someone else willing to teach students about the value of every human life.
Lawyers with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represented the schools, said the ruling is a victory for people of all faiths.
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins applauded the decision in a statement, saying: “This tiny step is far from sufficient, but it does offer a glimmer of hope that the Supreme Court has not forgotten that religious freedom is the most fundamental right of all.”