Supreme Court Ruling Expands Religious Exempts for Catholic Charities

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the Catholic Charities Bureau of Wisconsin, granting them a religious exemption from the state's unemployment insurance tax. The decision, which was unanimous at 9-0, continues the court's trend of broadening the scope of religious rights in America.

The central issue revolved around whether Wisconsin's refusal to grant a tax exemption infringed on the First Amendment rights of religious freedom and church-state separation. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, writing for the court, noted that Wisconsin's denial preferentially differentiated between religions, challenging the mandate for government neutrality.

This ruling overturns a previous decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which had dismissed the exemption on grounds that the Catholic Charities Bureau's work was primarily secular. This case is part of a larger trend where the court has favoured religious rights, setting significant precedents in other similar cases across the nation.

(With inputs from agencies.)