2020 will have a special place in the history books due to the Coronavirus. But more importantly, 2020 will be a defining moment for how Americans can legally exercise their faith in the public square.
Putting aside the countless legal victories against unconstitutional bans on religious services (including Kentucky), there are 4 important cases being considered at the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court’s decisions (expected in 2020) will address how a person of faith can navigate the following topics:
1) EEOC v. Harris Family Funeral Homes:
Does the 1964 Civil Rights Act’s definition of “sex” include discrimination based on one’s internal sense of gender or “gender identity”?
2) Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue:
Should religious schools be banned from receiving state funds of any kind?
3) Our Lady of Guadalupe School V. Morrissey-Berru:
Should religious schools have a “ministerial exception” to legally hire or fire a teacher that teaches the school’s religious values?
4) Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania:
Should employers have a religious exemption from covering contraceptives in employer-provided healthcare plans?
The decisions from these four cases will have a lasting impact on how a person of faith can act upon their sincerely held beliefs of sexuality, abortion and education. Regardless of how these cases are decided upon, they will provide a foundation, good or bad, for how this generation can legally live out their faith in the public square.
