Supreme Court hears arguments in key Catholic Charities test case

March 31, 2025

On Monday, March 31, the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin, a case that tests the government’s authority to determine what activities qualify as religious.

The case arises from a lawsuit brought by the Diocese of Superior, after Wisconsin officials ruled that the Catholic Charities Bureau is not eligible for an exemption from unemployment taxes, ordinarily given to religious entities, because the Bureau’s charitable work serves no “religious purpose.” The state’s Labor and Industry Review Commission reached that decision because the Catholic Charities Bureau has a policy of serving all those in need without regard to religious affiliation, and not engaging in proselytism.

Attorneys for the diocese counter that charitable activity is a requirement of Christian faith, and thus the work of the Bureau is religious, even if its specific activities resemble those of secular charitable organizations.

The Trump administration has sided with the diocese, saying that a failure to affirm the religious exemption would “permit government officials or judges to second-guess the sufficiency of religious values, inspect practitioners’ adherence to religious doctrine, and discriminate among various faiths.”

 

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Further information:

• Trump Admin To Defend Catholic Charities In Key SCOTUS Case While Fighting Org In Lower Courts (Daily Caller)
• Wisconsin Denies the Religious Dimensions of Charity (First Things)