Cedar Park Assembly of God of Kirkland v. Kreidler (9th Cir.)
The Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Clinic filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in support of Cedar Park Assembly of God, a Pentecostal church challenging the State of Washington’s requirement that houses of worship provide abortion coverage to their employees in violation of their deeply held religious beliefs.
As part of its Christian faith, Cedar Park Assembly of God believes in the sanctity of human life, beginning at conception. Providing abortion coverage to employees through its health insurance coverage would violate this deeply held religious belief. But the State of Washington nonetheless has required employers, including churches, to cover abortions as part of their health insurance plans. Cedar Park has challenged this law under the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. It argues that Washington does not have a compelling interest in forcing it to violate its sincerely held religious beliefs.
Our brief urges the Ninth Circuit to correct the lower court’s misunderstanding of the demands of the Free Exercise Clause. It distinguishes the guarantees offered by other constitutional provisions and explains that the Free Exercise Clause does not permit the government to privilege secular activity over religious exercise, like the State of Washington has done here. As our brief makes clear, correcting the lower court’s mistake is necessary to secure the protections that the First Amendment affords to religious exercise.
Case Documents
- Brief Amicus Curiae of the Notre Dame Law School Supporting Plaintiff-Appellant (Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals) (Nov. 29, 2023)
- Verified Complaint for Injunctive and Declaratory Relief (U. S. District Court Western District of Washington) (March 8, 2019)
Meet the Team
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Director, Religious Liberty Clinic
Term Teaching Professor -
Legal Fellow, Religious Liberty Clinic
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Student Fellow
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Student Fellow
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Student Fellow
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Student Fellow