WA homeless ministry asks 9th Circuit to uphold right to hire likeminded believers

WHO:  Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys

WHAT:  Available for media interviews following oral arguments in Union Gospel Mission of Yakima v. Ferguson

WHEN:  Immediately following hearing, which begins at 9 a.m., PDT, Friday, July 19

WHERE:  U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, James R. Browning U.S. Courthouse, Courtroom 1, Third floor, Room 338, 95 7th St., San Francisco, or view the livestream. To schedule an interview, contact ADF Media Relations Specialist Jacqueline Ribeiro at (202) 961-9396.

SAN FRANCISCO – Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing a Washington state homeless ministry will be available for media interviews Friday following oral arguments at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Yakima Union Gospel Mission is asking the court to allow its lawsuit to proceed to protect its freedom to hire like-minded individuals who share and live out its religious beliefs and mission to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through its homeless shelter, addiction-recovery programs, outreach efforts, meal services, and health clinics.

The Yakima Union Gospel Mission serves everyone regardless of background or belief, but it furthers its religious purpose by employing likeminded believers who agree with and live out the mission’s Christian beliefs and practices, including abstaining from any sexual conduct outside of marriage between a man and a woman. In 2021, the Washington Supreme Court reinterpreted state law to prohibit religious organizations, including the mission, from only hiring individuals who share their religious beliefs. Soon after, state officials began enforcing the law against religious organizations, and now the mission is threatened with significant penalties for using its religiously based hiring practices. Yakima Union Gospel Mission filed an appeal with the 9th Circuit in November after a lower court dismissed its case. The mission has received broad support from multiple Washington state legislators and other organizations.

“Religious organizations are free to hire employees who are aligned with and live out their religious beliefs,” said ADF Senior Counsel Ryan Tucker, director of the Center for Christian Ministries, who will be arguing before the court. “Yakima Union Gospel Mission faces substantial penalties under Washington state law for simply engaging in its constitutionally protected freedom to hire fellow believers who share the mission’s calling to spread the gospel and care for vulnerable people in the Yakima community. We are urging the court to correct the lower court’s decision so that the mission can continue its valuable services.”

In the wake of the state’s new interpretation and enforcement of the Washington Law Against Discrimination, the mission received applications from people who openly disagree with, or are hostile to, its religious beliefs. To avoid being penalized by the state, the mission removed an online employment posting for an IT technician, refrained from posting an operations assistant position, and has paused hiring for those two positions.

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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