Catholic Charities Crushes State Attack on Religious Freedom in Final Supreme Court Victory
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has delivered a decisive final victory for Catholic Charities in a years long legal battle, ruling that the organization cannot be forced to violate its religious mission or pay into the state's unemployment insurance program in a landmark religious freedom case.
The dispute began when Wisconsin's Department of Workforce Development demanded that Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Superior participate in the state unemployment compensation system, arguing the organization's charitable work did not qualify for religious exemptions despite its explicit Catholic mission and operation under church authority.
Catholic Charities argued that forcing participation would violate its religious identity by subjecting the organization to state control over employment decisions and requiring financial support for a system that could conflict with Catholic teaching.
The organization maintained that its work feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and serving the poor flows directly from the Gospel mandate and operates as an extension of the Catholic Church's religious mission.
Lower courts initially sided with the state, ruling that Catholic Charities' work was insufficiently religious to warrant exemption. The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development claimed that because the organization serves people of all faiths and does not require employees or clients to be Catholic, it functions as a secular charity rather than a religious entity.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected that argument in its final ruling, determining that Catholic Charities operates with religious purpose, under religious authority, and in fulfillment of religious doctrine regardless of who it serves. The court ruled that the state cannot redefine what qualifies as religious activity based on whether an organization limits its service to co religionists.
The decision protects Catholic Charities from state mandates that would compromise its religious identity and sets precedent preventing government agencies from forcing religious organizations to choose between their faith convictions and their charitable work. Religious freedom advocates have celebrated the ruling as a critical defense against expanding government overreach into church operations.
The case attracted national attention from religious liberty organizations who warned that allowing states to strip protections from faith based charities would effectively punish churches for serving communities beyond their own members, incentivizing religious insularity rather than Christian compassion.
THE CRUSADER'S OPINION
Wisconsin tried to strip Catholic Charities of religious protection because they feed everyone, not just Catholics.
The Supreme Court said no.
Final victory.
This is the game: redefine religious work as secular charity, then force compliance with state mandates that violate conscience.
Feed the poor? That's social work, not ministry.
Shelter the homeless? That's humanitarian aid, not Gospel obedience.
Serve people who aren't Catholic? Clearly not religious anymore.
Except Christ commanded His followers to love everyone.
Serve everyone.
Feed everyone.
The state wanted to punish Catholic Charities for actually doing what Christianity requires.
Wisconsin lost.
Religious freedom won.
And every charity watching now knows: you don't surrender your mission to keep your exemption.
You fight.
TAKE ACTION
Support Religious Liberty Legal Defense: Becket Fund for Religious Liberty (defended Catholic Charities) Website: https://www.becketlaw.org Email: info@becketlaw.org Phone: +1 (202) 955-0095
Donate to Catholic Charities: Support the organization that fought for years to protect religious freedom Catholic Charities USA: https://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org Phone: +1 (703) 549-1390
Contact Your State Representatives: Tell them: "Religious organizations serving their communities should never be forced to choose between their faith and their charitable work. Support exemptions for faith based charities." Find your representatives: https://openstates.org
Start a Conversation: Ask people: "Should the government be allowed to tell churches that feeding non Christians makes them secular organizations?" Force the absurdity into the open. Challenge the idea that Christian charity stops being Christian when it actually follows Christ's command to love everyone.
Support First Liberty Institute: Legal organization defending religious freedom nationwide Website: https://firstliberty.org Email: info@firstliberty.org Phone: +1 (972) 941-4444
