A central tenet of freedom of religion is that faith-based institutions must be allowed to hire like-minded people.

This tenet has been unanimously reaffirmed by the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit which handed down its decision in Union Gospel Mission of Yakima v. Brown, declaring the Union Gospel Mission of Yakima is free to hire people who share their values.

HRLA covered the case when the hearings began in June last year, outlining the challenges the Washington state based homeless, health, and recovery service organisation faced being unable to hire people of faith who were committed to their mission.

The Union Gospel Mission of Yakima provides services to any person in need who seeks their assistance, but wants to preserve the specific Christian character of their mission, especially as sharing their Christian faith is a core part of how they provide help.

In handing down the decision, the 9th Circuit Court wrote:

If a religious organization’s hiring of co-religionists for non-ministerial positions rests on its sincerely held religious beliefs, then the church autonomy doctrine forbids government interference with that hiring decision.

Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Jeremiah Galus represented the Mission and said after the decision:

Yakima Union Gospel Mission exists to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through its homeless shelter, addiction-recovery programs, outreach efforts, meal services, and health clinics. The 9th Circuit correctly ruled that the First Amendment protects the mission’s freedom to hire fellow believers who share that calling.

Despite how important this freedom is, discrimination laws in Australia remain difficult to navigate, and this right often comes under public scrutiny in a hostile media environment.

HRLA defends the right of Christian organisations to employ like-minded staff so that they can retain their Christian character and mission and continue to thrive.