Legal Opinion

Alcazar v. Corporation of the Catholic Archbishop of Seattle

Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Decided December 10, 2010No. 09-35003PublishedCited by 10 opinions

1Opinion of the Court

OPINION

GRABER, Circuit Judge:

Churches, like all other institutions, must adhere to state and federal employment laws. But the federal courts have recognized a “ministerial exception” to that general rule. The exception exempts a church’s employment relationship with its “ministers” from the application of some employment statutes, even though the statutes by their literal terms would apply. A key inquiry, therefore, is whether an employee is a “minister” for purposes of the exception. Where, as here, the plaintiff alleges that he “entered the seminary to become a Catholic priest” and…

2Cases cited16 opinions

Mrs. Billie B. McCLURE, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. the SALVATION ARMY, Defendant-AppelleeCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · 1972
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Elizabeth McDonough v. The Catholic University of AmericaCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit · 1996
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE, Defendant-AppelleeCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · 1980
Monica L. McDowell Elvig v. Calvin Presbyterian Church Will AcklesCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · 2004
Ralph L. Minker v. Baltimore Annual Conference of United Methodist Church and Bishop Joseph A. YeakelCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit · 1990

11 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.

3Cited by10 opinions

Bibiji Kaur Puri v. Sopurkh Kaur KhalsaCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · 2017
Dayner v. Archdiocese of HartfordSupreme Court of Connecticut · 2011
Kristen Biel v. St. James SchoolCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · 2018
Kristen Biel v. St. James SchoolCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · 2019
Alexander Behrend v. San Francisco Zen Center, Inc.Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · 2024

5 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.