Supreme Court Cases to Watch — Religious Freedom

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear six cases of interest to Christians. Here are two examples (PDF):

— In First Choice Women’s Heath Centers v. Platkin, the high court will decide whether civil rights plaintiffs must raise challenges to state investigations in state court before they can bring federal claims.

But the real issue for First Choice is to carry out its religious mission without government interference and harassment.

Matthew Platkin, New Jersey’s attorney general, subpoenaed the pro-life First Choice demanding the organization’s internal religious communications, policies, guidance documents, statement of faith, and other items, including confidential records.

First Choice considers this harassment. Becket Law, which submitted an amicus brief in the case, reported that Platkin targeted the ministry in a wide-ranging investigation in the aftermath of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022). The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, returning the issue of abortion to the states.

Becket Law said the state’s “intrusive demands would allow New Jersey to probe and pressure how First Choice implements its Christian beliefs and pursues its core religious mission to ‘serve women and the unborn as the Bible instructs.'”

— The Supreme Court in Chiles v. Salazar will decide whether a Colorado law infringes on a Christian counselor’s religious freedom and exercise of religion by barring or censoring private counselor-client conversations about sexual orientation and “gender identity.”

State law requires licensed counselors to affirm confused children’s “gender identity” rather than actually help them. Any other conversations are considered “conversion therapy.”

Counselor Kaley Chiles does not want to promote the government’s view on “gender identity.” Her legal counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom,” said that Chiles seeks to help children “grow comfortable with their bodies and avoid harmful drugs and procedures.”

Photo credit: Alliance Defending Freedom