On January 6, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Union Gospel Mission in Yakima, Washington, has the constitutional right to hire employees who share its religious beliefs, extending that protection beyond clergy roles.

The decision blocks the state of Washington from enforcing its anti-discrimination law against the Christian nonprofit, citing the First Amendment’s protection of religious autonomy in employment decisions, as CNA reports.

Appeals Court Sides With Religious Hiring

Union Gospel Mission filed suit in 2023, arguing the Washington Law Against Discrimination infringed on its ability to hire staff members aligned with its Christian view of marriage and sexuality. The group’s legal team, Alliance Defending Freedom, maintained that its hiring policy stemmed directly from religious doctrine, not workplace bias.

The Ninth Circuit agreed, concluding that both the “ministerial exception” and the broader “church autonomy” doctrine shield those hiring decisions when rooted in sincere beliefs.

The ruling is the first within the 9th Circuit to confirm that these First Amendment protections extend to non-ministerial staff across the court’s jurisdiction.

Court Cites Religious Autonomy Principles

The judges indicated that forcing the mission to comply with Washington’s nondiscrimination code would interfere with its religious mission and potentially push it out of public service. The opinion clarified that such decisions qualify as “internal management” protected by federal constitutional law.

“In cases involving the hiring of non-ministerial employees,” the court wrote, “a religious institution may enjoy [church autonomy] when a challenged hiring decision is rooted in a sincerely held religious belief.”

Judge-appointed interference, according to the court, “forbids interference with an internal church decision that affects the faith and mission of the church itself.”

Legal Team Applauds Landmark Decision

Attorney Jeremiah Galus of Alliance Defending Freedom called the ruling a “significant victory” during an interview the following day. He emphasized that the mission’s staff must reflect shared beliefs to preserve the organization’s spiritual identity.

“Religious organizations shouldn’t be punished for exercising their constitutionally protected freedom to hire employees who are aligned with and live out their shared religious beliefs,” Galus stated.

He pointed out that while the principle of the ministerial exception is not new, state courts in Washington had interpreted it narrowly—until now.

Implications For Other Religious Nonprofits

Critics of the Washington law have long warned that applying secular anti-discrimination policies to faith-based groups risks infringing on religious liberty. The court appears to have taken that concern seriously.

This latest opinion makes it clear that religious staffing choices—when based on conviction—cannot be second-guessed by the state without trampling First Amendment rights.

Union Gospel Mission’s case builds on Supreme Court precedents like Hosanna-Tabor and Our Lady of Guadalupe School, which upheld religious groups’ rights to hire church workers without government interference.

State May Still Challenge Ruling

It remains to be seen whether Washington officials will appeal to the Supreme Court. But for now, the lower federal court’s injunction blocking enforcement of the discrimination law against the mission stands.

Supporters of the mission say the outcome sends a clear message to states pushing aggressive equity mandates into sacred spaces: churches, ministries, and religious schools are not extensions of the secular state.

This decision reinforces the long-understood boundary between government and religion. Whether officials in Olympia appreciate that boundary is another question entirely.