Coulee Catholic Schools v. Labor & Industry Review Commission

**What Happened:** A teacher at Coulee Catholic Schools claimed she was fired because of her age, violating Wisconsin's employment discrimination laws. The school argued that as a religious organization, they had the right to make employment decisions for positions closely tied to their religious mission without being subject to age discrimination claims. **What the Court Decided:** The Wisconsin Supreme Court sided with the Catholic school. The court ruled that religious freedom protections in both the U.S. Constitution and Wisconsin state law prevent age discrimination lawsuits against religious organizations when the employee's job is important to and closely connected with the organization's religious mission. The court threw out the teacher's age discrimination claim entirely. **Why This Matters for Workers:** This ruling significantly limits legal protections for employees who work for religious organizations. Workers in positions that courts consider "closely linked" to a religious mission may have fewer rights under employment discrimination laws. This could affect teachers, counselors, administrators, and other staff at religious schools, churches, and faith-based organizations. Workers should understand that religious employers may have broader authority to make employment decisions that would be illegal in secular workplaces.