Does the First Amendment’s Church Autonomy Doctrine Immunize Religious Employers from Title VII Liability When Terminating a Lay Employee for Conduct Contrary to Faith?
The Fourth Circuit's recent decision in John Doe v.
Chronological & Subject Repository
Category: Appellate & Circuit Wire
October 2026
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Washington Firefighters' Title VII Vaccine Challenge
TLDR – In its first day of the 2026-2027 term, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a federal appeals court ruling that allowed…
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Washington Firefighters’ Title VII Vaccine Challenge
The justices left intact a Ninth Circuit decision finding that patient transmission risks justified denying religious exemptions during a pandemic surge.
The Johnson Amendment Handshake: Can the White House Cut a Deal to Cancel a Law?
Put aside the furious argument over church politicking. The real fight inside the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is about something far cleaner, colder,…
September 2026
The Outer Limits of Religious Accommodation: Nasal Swab Test Refusing Hospital Worker Asks Supreme Court to Decide
Detwiler v. Mid-Columbia Medical Center
Ninth Circuit Vacates Protection for Religious Employers in Hiring Dispute to Hear Case En Banc
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered an en banc rehearing, vacating a panel decision that protected a religious mission's right to hire…
Inconsistent Liberty: How the Ninth Circuit Both Wields and Wrecks Employment Division v. Smith within 72 Hours
Federal appellate jurisprudence often demands a strong stomach, yet rarely has a single court exhibited such breathtaking intellectual acrobatics in seventy-two hours. The bone…
9th Circuit Upholds $7.8 Million BART Verdict as Vaccine Battles Redefine “Religious Liberty”
A federal appeals court upheld a 7.8 million dollar jury verdict for six transit workers fired by the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit…
Aprons, Pins, and Precedent: How a Starbucks Coffee Bar Case Explains Everyday Labor Law
The easiest way to understand the law is not by memorizing dense statutory codes, but by watching what happens when two reasonable, everyday rights…
Fourth Circuit Reinstates Religious Discrimination Claim Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
The Fourth Circuit ruled that an employee's individually discerned belief that her body is a temple is protected under Title VII, reversing summary judgment…