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Government agents can be sued for religious freedom damages, Supreme Court rules
The ruling could have a deterrent effect in a wide range of religious-freedom cases going forward, such as the Catholic Little Sisters of the Poor’s case against being forced to subsidize abortifacients
Fri Dec 11, 2020 - 3:24 pm EST
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Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
By Calvin Freiburger
WASHINGTON, D.C., December 11, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Americans found to have been wronged by the federal government under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) may sue individual government officials for monetary damages, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a unanimous decision. . . .
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. . . “A damages remedy is not just ‘appropriate’ relief as viewed through the lens of suits against Government employees,” he continued. “It is also the only form of relief that can remedy some RFRA violations. For certain injuries, such as respondents’ wasted plane tickets, effective relief consists of damages, not an injunction.” . . .
. . . “We’re glad the Supreme Court unanimously emphasized that the government can’t expect to be let off the hook by simply changing its tune at the last second,” Becket Law senior counsel Lori Windham said in support of the ruling. “This is a good decision that makes it easier to hold the government accountable when it violates Americans’ religious liberties.” . . .
. . . By making federal employees potentially liable for the actions of their offices, the ruling could have a deterrent effect in a wide range of religious-freedom cases going forward, such as the Catholic Little Sisters of the Poor’s case against being forced to subsidize abortifacients, a threat Democrat Joe Biden has signaled he would revive as president.
Government agents can be sued for religious freedom damages, Supreme Court rules - LifeSite