Most of the time, when a First Liberty case reaches the U.S. Supreme Court, we want the justices to hear it. We want to go before the Court and present our arguments.
But there are some exceptions—such as what happened recently in our case involving the North American Mission Board (NAMB) of the Southern Baptist Convention.
The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal filed by our opponents, in which they challenged a major victory we secured for NAMB last September.
A federal appeals court ruled that churches and religious organizations—not government—decide who their leaders are. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that courts cannot “interfere with matters of church government, matters of faith, (and) matters of doctrine.”
It is actually positive that the Supreme Court said it wouldn’t review the case. Why? Because it means the appellate court ruling will stand, securing a victory for NAMB and religious organizations across America.
The 5th Circuit ruling set an important precedent strengthening church autonomy. For NAMB, that decision allows it to pursue its religious mission without the government meddling in its affairs.
This case came about because the Baptist Convention of Maryland and Delaware terminated a pastor due to spiritual concerns about his performance as one its top leaders.
The pastor sued NAMB claiming it caused his termination, though there is no evidence NAMB had anything to do with it. The core issue in the case was whether federal courts can get involved in a religious dispute at all.
First Liberty and the law firm Wilmer Hale argued that religious institutions—not judges or government officials—have a constitutional right to choose how to fulfill their religious missions and who will do the work. Courts and the government have no role in determining who should be leaders of religious organizations or how religious organizations communicate regarding the spiritual fitness of religious leaders.
“The First Amendment prohibits the government from interfering with the autonomy of religious organizations and the church,” said First Liberty Executive General Counsel Hiram Sasser. “No court should be able to tell a church who it must hire to preach their beliefs, teach their faith, or carry out their mission.”
And it isn’t just a win for one religious group. It’s a massive win for houses of worship and ministries all over the country. This ruling strengthens church independence and reaffirms that the government may not interfere in an internal dispute over who should lead a church or religious organization.
“There should be no doubt that religious institutions—not judges—have the freedom to choose how to fulfill their religious missions and with whom they will partner to carry out those missions,” said Matthew Martens, partner at WilmerHale. “We are grateful that the 5th Circuit recognized this important principle of religious freedom and that the Supreme Court upheld its decision.”
