Ruling determines discrimination based on gender identity violates the sincerely held religious beliefs of association members …………
The Court adopted the Association’s argument that the 2024 regulations’ prohibition against gender identity discrimination violated their sincerely held religious beliefs under the RFRA. Furthermore, the Court ruled that the new case-by-case procedures for exemptions from the regulations substantially burdened the Association members’ exercise of religion. More specifically, the Court held that the procedures did not allow members of the Association to assess their legal risks definitively and were not the “least restrictive means available.” As a result, the Court issued a permanent injunction barring enforcement of the 2024 regulations against the Association’s members. The injunction prevents the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from enforcing the obligation of the Association’s members to cover or perform gender-transition procedures.
