The Supreme Court ruled 9-0 on Thursday, June 5, that the state of Wisconsin had discriminated when it refused to provide a tax exemption to Catholic Charities Bureau of the Diocese of Superior.
"The Court was clear: no faith should be treated differently based on how it practices charity or serves those in need," Nick Reaves, senior counsel at Becket, told Aleteia.
Becket is a law firm that was representing Catholic Charities in the case.
Previously, the Wisconsin Supreme Court had found that Catholic Charities' work was not "typical" religious activity as the organization does not exclusively employ or serve Catholics. This meant that Catholic Charities was prohibited from joining the Wisconsin Catholic Church's unemployment compensation program, and had to join the state's plan. The state's plan, said Catholic Charities, was more expensive and less efficient.
The majority decision was authored by Justice Sotomayor. In the decision, she said that Wisconsin's actions were illegal by “impos[ing] a denominational preference by differentiating between religions based on theological choices.”
“It is fundamental to our constitutional order that the government maintain ‘neutrality between religion and religion,’” said Sotomayor. “There may be hard calls to make in policing that rule, but this is not one” of them.
“At the heart of Catholic Charities’ ministry is Christ’s call to care for the least of our brothers and sisters, without condition and without exception,” said Bishop James Powers, Bishop of the Diocese of Superior, in a statement published on the organization's website.
“We’re grateful the Court unanimously recognized that improving the human condition by serving the poor is part of our religious exercise and has allowed us to continue serving those in need throughout our diocese and beyond.”
With the court case over, Catholic Charities looks forward to continuing to do what they do best: help others.
"Catholic Charities will continue serving the poor, elderly, and disabled throughout the Diocese of Superior as it has for over a century. This unanimous decision allows Catholic Charities to faithfully carry out that mission without interference from the state," said Reaves.
