Justices uphold church hire-fire rights

The U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously thrown its support behind a
church school that fired a teacher, using a widely watched church-state
case to bolster a legal doctrine that exempts religious institutions
from some civil rights laws.

Many religious groups heralded the
January 11 ruling as a firm assertion of religious freedom that keeps
personnel decisions about religious employees where they should be:
within a church, synagogue or mosque.

Nevertheless, the 9–0 ruling
supporting a Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod  church and school in
Michigan drew different reactions from two leading groups concerned with
First Amendment issues.