Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC
Supreme Court
132 S. Ct. 694 (2012)
Perich was a "called" teacher at Hosanna-Tabor (defendant), formally titled "Minister of Religion, Commissioned" after completing required religious training, and she taught both secular and religious subjects, led daily prayer and chapel devotions, and occasionally presided over chapel services, distinguishing her from the school's uncommissioned "lay" teachers. After the school fired her for insubordination when she threatened to sue over its failure to accommodate a chronic medical condition, the EEOC (plaintiff) sued on her behalf, alleging unlawful retaliation.
Whether a church-affiliated school that fires a commissioned teacher falls within a ministerial exception shielding that employment decision from federal anti-discrimination laws under the Religion Clauses.