When U.S. Courts Decide What Is Religious

The U.S. Supreme Court will soon rule on a case that could have major impacts on American religious nonprofit organizations, including those in the Jewish community. The case known as “Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. v Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission” has been described by CNN as “the most significant religious liberty case to receive full review from the court in the last two years.” The stakes are high, ranging from possible violation of the Constitution’s First Amendment protections for freedom of religion, to whether minority religions in America will face discrimination for being deemed not “typical” by the courts, and creating precedent that could affect universities and hospitals, then spread to for-profit corporations. In this session, we will explore why this case is raising such significant concerns and discuss important input to the Supreme Court provided by a non-denominational group of Jewish communal and lay leaders. 

The Philosophy Minyan is a monthly lunchtime series on Zoom. All are welcome to join in an interactive and thought-provoking exploration of topics at the intersection of philosophy, Jewish thought and contemporary issues. No advance reading is required and participants will receive online access to all the class materials following each session.

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