Professor Eric Rassbach Argues Supreme Court Religious Liberty Case Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin Labor and Industry Review Commission

Professor Eric C. Rassbach argued the religious liberty case, Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin Labor and Industry Review Commission, at the United States Supreme Court on March 31. The case concerns the denial of a state tax exemption for Catholic Charities on the grounds that the nonprofit organization is not "operated primarily for religious purposes." 

From the Washington Post article, "Supreme Court Appears to Back Tax Exemption for Catholic Charities"

Catholic Charities appealed to the Supreme Court, saying the First Amendment prevents the state government from meddling in church decisions about how to structure its service entities — decisions it says are rooted in the church’s teachings about charity. The nonprofit believes that “showing Christ’s love to the disabled, elderly, hungry, and poor is a ‘religious’ activity,’” its attorneys, from the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, wrote in a court filing.

Attorney Eric C. Rassbach told the justices on Monday that Catholic Charities is carrying out the mission of the Catholic Church when it helps all people, not just Catholics.

In a religiously pluralistic society, the state should take a “generous approach to religious exemptions, not a stingy one,” Rassbach said.

“Penalizing them for helping all people without proselytization cannot be reconciled with the pluralism of American society or the religion clauses” of the Constitution, he said.

The complete article may be found at Washington Post