Catholic School’s Appeal of Gay Bias Loss Takes Surprise Twist

A Catholic high school’s bid to have the Fourth Circuit overturn its loss in a sex bias suit by a fired gay teacher under a batch of religious freedoms it’s asserting may have been upended during oral argument Wednesday.

Charlotte Catholic High School and two co-defendants want the appeals court to hold that its decision to fire Lonnie Billard for announcing on Facebook his plans to marry his boyfriend fell under the Title VII exemption for religious employers. The school brought three other defenses, including the First Amendment’s church autonomy and expressive association doctrines and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. ...