WAGOP Supports DOJ’s Lawsuit Against WA State’s Unconstitutional Law

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The Department of Justice announced today that it filed legal action for a complaint in intervention against the State of Washington over its new state law, Senate Bill 5375, which violates the free exercise of religion for all Catholics and requires Catholic priests to violate the confidentiality seal of Confession.

SB 5375 requires Catholic priests to violate their vows to uphold the confidentiality seal that accompanies the sacred rite of Confession, subjecting them to immediate excommunication from the Catholic Church.

A staunch defender of the First Amendment, the Washington State Republican Party (WAGOP) fully supports the actions of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in its lawsuit against WA State

“The court action by the DOJ is much bigger than the Catholic Church or any specific religion,” says WAGOP Chairman Jim Walsh. “Various churches and religions have already filed suit against this unconstitutional law. The controversy and these lawsuits pertain to protecting the First Amendment to the US Constitution and Article 1, Section 11, of the Washington State Constitution. Current WA Gov. Bob Ferguson made a serious mistake by signing into law unconstitutional legislation promoted by anti-religion zealots. As someone who’s read our state constitution, he should have recognized the proposal—which was originally designed to attack Jehovah’s Witnesses—would fail even the simplest application of Article 1, Section 11. During the House floor debate on SB 5375, we pointed out its constitutional defects. It clearly violates Article 1, Section 11, of the Washington State Constitution. We want to end child sex abuse, but SB 5375 was never the right way. Gov. Ferguson should have known better than to sign it."

As the Justice Department’s lawsuit explains, the violations imposed by this new law on all practicing members of the Catholic Church, including Catholic priests administering the sacrament and Catholic penitents participating in the rite, include deprivations of the Free Exercise of Religion under the First Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

“Laws that explicitly target religious practices such as the Sacrament of Confession in the Catholic Church have no place in our society,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “SB 5375 unconstitutionally forces Catholic priests in Washington to choose between their obligations to the Catholic Church and their penitents or face criminal consequences, while treating the priest-penitent privilege differently than other well-settled privileges. The Justice Department will not sit idly by when States mount attacks on the free exercise of religion.”

AAGHarmeetDhillon Sneak peek at what the team @CivilRights is cooking up! Video Update Here.

More information about the DOJ Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.

Bill Bruch

Bill Bruch is the WA State GOP Election Integrity Committee Chairman (5th year), WAGOP Executive Board Member (5th Year), Skagit County GOP Chairman (9th year), Citizen Journalist, Blogger, Business Owner, 2020 WA State House Representative Candidate, Former Council Member, and WA State 2016 and 2024 RNC National Convention Delegate.