Court Watch: United States Supreme Court Slaps Down Wisconsin State Supreme Court in Religious Liberty Case
SCOTUS overturned SCOWIS 9-0 in Opinion Authored by Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Delafield, Wis. – The Institute for Reforming Government (IRG) released the following statement after the United States Supreme Court overturned a case arising from the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday. In the opinion authored by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the Court reversed and remanded the case for further proceedings.
THE QUOTE:
“The United States Supreme Court unanimously rejected the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s absurd decision that would have required the judiciary to determine whether faith-based charities were in fact ‘churchy’ enough,” said Jake Curtis, Director of IRG Court Watch. “Faith-based charities provide critical services, often for both believers and nonbelievers. The progressive majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court must now reconsider its approach and align its reasoning with the First Amendment’s protections.”
WHY IT MATTERS:
In Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s application of the state’s unemployment tax exemption violated the First Amendment’s Religion Clauses. In an opinion authored by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the Court reversed the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s decision because it discriminated among religions based on theological lines. The case was remanded for further proceedings.
WHAT’S NEXT:
To remand a case means that a higher court, such as the United States Supreme Court, sends the case back to a lower court (in this case, the Wisconsin Supreme Court or a lower state court) for further proceedings or action consistent with the higher court’s ruling. Justice Sotomayor delivered the opinion, with Justices Thomas and Jackson filing concurring opinions emphasizing the church autonomy doctrine and a function-based interpretation of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act’s religious-purposes exemption, respectively.