Are all religious school teachers ‘ministers’ under the law?

[additional-authors]

Brad A. Greenberg

August 7, 2011

Interesting column from the Baptist Press about the “ministerial exception,” a judicial doctrine that tells courts to keep out of disputes between religious organizations and their ministers. The exception is at issue in a case that involved the firing of a teacher at a school run by Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church.

” title=”U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear” target=”_blank”>U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case, which according to Theriot will be the first ministerial exception case that the high court will hear. (Check out the

Did you enjoy this article?

You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Israel and the Internet Wars – A Professional Social Media Review

Marion Haberman

The Invisible Student: A Tale of Homelessness at UCLA and USC

Tabby Refael

What Ever Happened to the LA Times?

Dan Schnur

Who Are the Jews On Joe Biden’s Cabinet?

Ryan Torok

You’re Not a Bad Jewish Mom If Your Kid Wants Santa Claus to Come to Your House

Marion Haberman

No Labels: The Group Fighting for the Political Center

Larry Greenfield

Latest Articles

Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” Isn’t Perfect—But Even Some Democrats See Value

Gregory Lyakhov

Can Pro-Israel Democrats Finally Say ‘Thank you President Trump’?

Gil Troy

The Colonization of the American Mind

Karen Lehrman Bloch

The Survival Mindset

Stephen Smith

To Learn or Not to Learn

Mark Schiff

When Bombs Fell on Torah Learning

Angela Maddahi

After the Threat Is Gone

June 25, 2025

The Saudis now realize that a partnership with Israel – even an unofficial one – that they believed was an essential bulwark to help protect against Iranian aggression may no longer be necessary.

Trump Announces Israel-Iran Ceasefire

June 23, 2025

“It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a complete and total ceasefire,” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Jewish Journal Wins Nine LA Press Club SoCal Journalism Awards from 18 Total Nominations

June 23, 2025

Debra Eckerling, Judy Gruen and Kylie Ora Lobell won top honors at the 2025 awards ceremony. Judea Pearl presented the Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism.

Extreme Alert at 8 am

June 23, 2025

This is the moment we had been waiting for.

What Trump Learned from FDR & Hitler

June 23, 2025

Regardless of what President Roosevelt privately thought about Hitler, he was determined to maintain cordial—sometimes friendly—relations with the Nazi regime in the 1930s.

Wiping the Smirk Off Smack Talk

June 22, 2025

President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both saw the ayatollahs for what they are: trash-talking theocrats who roguishly financed and fomented terrorism around the world.

What Is Iran’s Main Issue?

June 22, 2025

Although Iran’s nuclear program often dominates headlines, at its core, the conflict is between the people and a tyrannical theocracy.

‘Very successful’ US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, Isfahan, Trump says

June 21, 2025

The U.S. president said that “all planes are now outside of Iran air space” and that “full payload of bombs” had been dropped on Fordow.

Trump Bombs Amalek

June 21, 2025

For the benefit of Israelis as well as peace lovers everywhere and the good people of Iran, we can only hope that this Amalek will take Trump’s advice before he gets angry again.

The Year Badass Israel Made a Comeback

June 21, 2025

As far as Israel’s neighbors are concerned, from its sworn enemies to its potential allies, the weak Israel that hit rock bottom on Oct. 7 is long gone, and in its place is a Badass Israel that is ready to help transform the region.

President Trump says US struck 3 Iranian nuclear sites in overnight operation

June 21, 2025

US President Donald Trump announced late on Saturday that American forces carried out what he called a “successful” strike on three of Iran’s key nuclear facilities: Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan.