Wash. Supreme Court published opinion — 961328.pdf

Citation: Wash. Supreme Court published opinion — 961328.pdf
Jurisdiction: Washington (state)
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Original Source: https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/961328.pdf ↗

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elucidating or teaching the tenets of the faith. They are first and foremost charged

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For the current opinion, go to https://www.lexisnexis.com/clients/wareports/.
Woods v. Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission, No. 96132-8
(Yu, J., concurring)

with providing objective legal advice that may, in fact, conflict with the employing

entity’s religious doctrine. A religious organization that chooses to employ an

attorney in order to provide civil legal aid cannot control the legal advice by

requiring the attorney to serve as minister and attorney at the same time.

I concur.

_______________________________

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For the current opinion, go to https://www.lexisnexis.com/clients/wareports/.

Woods v. Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission
(Stephens, J., dissenting in part and concurring in part)

No. 96132-8

STEPHENS, J. (dissenting in part and concurring in part)—Matthew Woods

applied for an attorney position at Open Door Legal Services (ODLS), a legal aid

clinic of Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission (SUGM). Though Woods had volunteered

at the clinic for about three years starting in law school, SUGM rejected his

employment application because Woods is bisexual. As a condition of employment,

SUGM requires employees to obey a biblical moral code that excludes

‘“homosexual behavior.’” Clerk’s Papers (CP) at 4 (quoting SUGM’s Employee

Code of Conduct). Woods sued, alleging SUGM violated Washington’s Law

Against Discrimination (WLAD), ch. 49.60 RCW. The superior court granted

SUGM’s motion for summary judgment and dismissed Woods’s suit based on RCW
For the current opinion, go to https://www.lexisnexis.com/clients/wareports/.
Woods v. Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission, 96132-8
(Stephens, J., dissenting in part and concurring in part)