AJ_Watt via Getty Images Dive Brief: Seattle Pacific University has sued the Washington Attorney General (AG) for investigating employment practices it says are required by its religious beliefs and protected by the First Amendment, the lawsuit alleges ( Seattle Pacific University v. Ferguson , No. 22-05540 (W.D. Wash. July 27, 2022)). SPU is a private, Christian institution aligned with the Free Methodist Church, according to the lawsuit and a statement on the university’s website. SPU requires faculty and staff to abide by the church’s religious teachings on sexuality and marriage; the church and the university define marriage as between a man and a woman, the lawsuit states. Prompted by student complaints, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson notified SPU he was investigating the university for alleged sexual orientation discrimination and seeking information about its employees and religious practices, according to the lawsuit. “Seattle Pacific has asked a federal district court to step in an protect its freedom to choose employees on the basis of religion, free from government interference or intimidation,” the website states. Dive Insight: This case and others may hasten a showdown at the U.S. Supreme Court between anti-discrimination employment laws, many of which prohibit LGBTQ-based discrimination, and […]
