The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals recently overturned a lower court's decision, ruling that Charlotte Catholic High School in North Carolina did not violate federal civil rights law by firing Lonnie Billard, a gay drama and English teacher, after he announced his same-sex marriage on social media in 2017. The court, led by Judge Pamela Harris, found that Billard, who had been employed for a decade, played a critical religious role which justified the school's action under a religious exemption. This decision has been recognized as a significant victory for religious and conservative advocacy groups, emphasizing the broad freedom religious schools have in choosing their teachers based on adherence to religious principles.
North Carolina Catholic school can legally fire gay teacher who announced his wedding online, court rules https://t.co/NKEAUK8dVH
Catholic school can legally fire gay teacher, court finds https://t.co/UTQXarq2tM
A federal appeals court ruled that the firing of a gay teacher from a #NorthCarolina #CatholicSchool was not in violation of federal workplace protections on discriminatory grounds, reversing a previous ruling from 2021. https://t.co/3HQtCLMZaJ
VICTORY: We took action on behalf of students who were forbidden from sharing Bible verses with their classmates. The school just agreed to recognize students' constitutional rights. This wasn't an isolated incident. Join us in defending religious liberty. Sign our petition.…
A Catholic school in North Carolina had the right to fire a gay teacher who announced his marriage on social media a decade ago, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday, reversing a judge's earlier decision. https://t.co/G4t0pE4vEK
By announcing his wedding plans, Billard violated the school’s prohibition against “engaging in or advocating for conduct contrary to the moral tenets of the Catholic faith, including the Catholic Church’s rejection of same-sex marriage,” the court wrote. https://t.co/JQs9qVjdbo
‘Teachers are different’: Catholic school can legally fire gay drama teacher over marriage announcement, court finds https://t.co/OxQ1UB8ZSC
Lonnie Billard got fired for posting about his wedding on Facebook and has been fighting the school in court since 2017. #LGBTQ 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦: https://t.co/7gGWT0JCez
Judge Pamela Harris wrote for the majority in an opinion holding that an English and drama teacher played a critical religious role at a North Carolina Catholic school that fired him because he is gay. Subscribe to The Daily Docket: https://t.co/s1z0JFiNQe https://t.co/F8hp6P1nUq
The 4th Circuit said allowing teacher Lonnie Billard, who was fired because he is gay, to sue Charlotte Catholic High School for sex bias would violate the school's constitutional right to choose its own 'ministers' https://t.co/3OcCY4H1SS https://t.co/tLZ84mjvd1
Catholic school was within its rights to fire gay teacher for posting about his same-sex marriage on social media, appeals court rules https://t.co/al0EEq4QUv https://t.co/d6dGAivxr0
A U.S. appeals court said a drama and English teacher played a critical religious role at a North Carolina Catholic school that fired him because he is gay, barring him from pursuing a discrimination lawsuit @DanWiessner https://t.co/YkpyuUgEMt https://t.co/7EeKXacOO9
🇺🇸 COURT RULES RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS CAN FIRE PEOPLE FOR SEXUAL PREFERENCES The appeals court recently ruled that the termination of longtime teacher Lonnie Billard for marrying his same-sex partner did not violate the civil rights law. In overturning the original district… https://t.co/ZipPFD5TJV
Court Rules NC Catholic School Had Right To Fire Gay Teacher Who Announced Marriage https://t.co/CzhKT3JyCS
Gay drama teacher can't sue Catholic school over firing, 4th Circ. says https://t.co/UJ13BOpFdr https://t.co/DWPxSTlN93
A Roman Catholic high school in North Carolina did not violate federal civil rights law by firing a gay teacher after he announced that he would marry his same-sex partner, a federal appeals court rules, overturning a lower court ruling. https://t.co/N6Beejn1wi
A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that a Catholic school has the right to only hire staff who agree with its religious principles, rejecting a lawsuit from a substitute teacher who announced plans to enter into a same-sex marriage. https://t.co/KI2KNCH4rz
Catholic school in North Carolina has right to refuse teacher in same-sex marriage, judges rule https://t.co/yf588489eJ
A gay teacher saw his sex bias win against a Catholic high school overturned by the Fourth Circuit, which said because he played a "vital role as a messenger" of the faith, he was a "minister". https://t.co/uW8Ixhmdgc
A US appeals court said a drama and English teacher played a critical religious role at a North Carolina Catholic school that fired him because he is gay, barring him from pursuing a discrimination lawsuit https://t.co/YkpyuUg6WV https://t.co/XA4Mf3XGOj
One of the most liberal appellate courts in the country has ruled that a Catholic high school could fire a teacher for marrying another man, a victory for conservative and religious advocacy groups that have pushed back against anti-discrimination law. https://t.co/JWQt6bnFpq
The Fourth Circuit on Wednesday struck down a gay drama teacher's win in his suit alleging he was unlawfully fired by a Catholic school after announcing his wedding on Facebook. https://t.co/37TI78ysFa
The Fourth Circuit struck down a gay drama teacher's win in his suit alleging he was unlawfully fired by a Catholic school after announcing his wedding on Facebook, finding that his job entailed responsibilities that triggered a religious exception. https://t.co/Q6h6H1pQF2 https://t.co/8KwosX0u0O
A Catholic school. The court determined he worked in a ministerial role. He worked as a teacher for 10 years, he wasn't discriminated against for being a gay man. It was determined his marriage to a man was the issue. Again, at a Catholic school. https://t.co/Aaa85oSWgo https://t.co/kzvJfPX6aB
BREAKING: The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a discrimination claim from a teacher at a North Carolina school who was fired after his wedding to another man. While this is a heartbreaking decision for our client, we'll never stop fighting for every worker to get equal…
#BREAKING: An appeals court just tossed a lawsuit by a Catholic-school teacher who lost his job after entering a same-sex marriage against Catholic teaching. The court affirms religious schools have very broad freedom to choose their teachers. https://t.co/PNjSMQKmoe