The “Hosanna-Tabor” Case in the US Supreme Court

Introduction “Evangelical Lutheran Church and School Hosanna-Tabor v. Commission for Equal Employment Opportunities-CIOE” is a famous case decided in January 2012 by the United States Supreme Court. It addressed the right to religious freedom and the establishment clause, the "ministerial exception" and the limits of state intervention in the internal affairs of a church. Arguably, "Hosanna-Tabor" is the most important case on religious freedom to reach the Supreme Court in the last 20 years. A case in which the Supreme Court established a milestone in the understanding of cases involving labor relations and religions institutions. More specifically on the scope of the term "ministerial exception" as well as the "establishment clause and free exercise", brought by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

Analysis of the Decision The Supreme Court reviews, in this case, an argument between the interpretation of the constitutional provision in the Americans with Disabilities Act, which protects people with disabilities in hiring and against dismissal without cause. The issues raised are as follows: Can a disabled person to be fired from his or hers job, even if the employer is a religious organization? What is the limit and the scope of the "ministerial exception" and the "free exercise clause", especially when there is a conflict with other values? More specifically, what was discussed was whether the Hosanna-Tabor Church, of Redford (Michigan) - an arm of the Lutheran Church - is subject to the laws against employment discrimination in relation to the teachers of schools attached to the church, although they are also ministers within the religion. The church argued that the "ministerial exception" should be applied here, in recognizing the full autonomy of religious institutions to