Orthodox Group Beats Kosher Food Inspector Appeal Over Wages (1)

The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America doesn’t have to face wage-based claims by a former kosher food inspector because it’s a religious organization and he served it as a “minister,” the Ninth Circuit ruled Monday.

The decision provides further guidance to workers and employers in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington on when the “ministerial exception” applies to job-based legal claims. The question has remained a thorny one, despite the US Supreme Court addressing the issue in 2012 and 2020, with workers and civil rights groups generally pushing back on what they see as ...