ADF to US Supreme Court: Govt can't judge religiosity

The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel and Vice President of Appellate Advocacy John Bursch regarding a friend-of-the-court brief ADF attorneys filed Thursday with the U.S. Supreme Court in Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission. ADF attorneys filed the brief on behalf of By the Hand Club for Kids, an Illinois ministry that is asking the high court to overturn a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that creates an unconstitutional test to determine the sincerity of religious organizations’ outreach efforts:

“Government has no business second-guessing a faith organization’s purpose. To do so would unconstitutionally entangle church and state—all at the expense of ministries that live out their faith, at least in part, through serving their communities. Under the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s test, government officials will inevitably favor religious views and activities they are familiar with, while excluding those that are either unfamiliar or disfavored. Just because Catholic Charities serves a diverse range of people outside its congregation doesn’t mean that its outreach efforts of providing for the elderly, people with disabilities, and those in poverty qualify as ‘secular’ activities. We are urging the Supreme Court to review and reverse this ruling that strikes at the very core of the First Amendment.”

Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.

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