The flag of the U.S. state Wisconsin is seen in this illustration taken, August 21, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Catholic entity says state court ruling violated First Amendment Groups "operated primarily for religious purposes" are exempt WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear a bid by an arm of a Catholic diocese in Wisconsin for a religious exemption from the state’s unemployment insurance tax in a case with potential implications for constitutional religious rights. The justices took up an appeal by the Catholic Charities Bureau, the social ministry arm of the Catholic diocese in the city of Superior, of a lower court’s decision rejecting its exemption bid. A Supreme Court ruling in favor of the bureau could require Wisconsin and states with similar tax programs to broaden their exemptions in order to comply the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment religious protections. The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments in the case and rule by the end of June. During the Great Depression, Wisconsin in 1932 became the first state to enact an unemployment compensation law, which operates by taxing employers and providing temporary payments to eligible […]

By : Markus McDowell