Update and statements on dismissal of SPU's lawsuit against attorney general
2022年7月， 西雅图 Pacific filed a lawsuit in Washington Western District Court against Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson to defend the University’s faith-based hiring decisions. The attorney general opened an investigation against 西雅图 Pacific in June 2022 and demanded the University turn over confidential information on employees as well as internal policies. 西雅图 Pacific had asked the court to step in and protect its freedom to have religious conduct standards for employees as protected by the First Amendment.
10月. 26, 2022, the judge ruled in favor of the attorney general's motion to dismiss the case on procedural grounds, stating that the issues needed to be decided in a state court rather than a federal court. The ruling did not address SPU’s First Amendment rights or whether the attorney general’s investigation was appropriate.
根据裁决, Interim President Pete Menjares and Becket Vice President and Senior Counsel Lori Windham released the following statements.
Statement from Pete Menjares, interim president of 西雅图 Pacific University, on Judge Robert Bryan's motion to dismiss the SPU lawsuit against Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson on procedural grounds.
"We remain committed to serving our students and campus community in a way that honors our Christian faith and mission. The government should not interfere with our ability to operate out of our sincerely held religious beliefs. We are disappointed with 今天’s ruling, but the court did not decide whether the state can investigate our university’s internal affairs. We will continue to defend ourselves from unlawful interference with our Christian mission.”
Statement from Lori Windham, vice president and senior counsel, Becket (representing SPU)
“西雅图 Pacific will continue to serve its students and community in accordance with its religious mission. We are disappointed with 今天’s procedural ruling; however, it did not touch on the larger issue regarding 西雅图 Pacific’s First Amendment rights. The court did not rule on the attorney general’s unlawful investigation. We will continue to defend SPU’s right to express its faith in all aspects of university life.”
Posted: Wednesday, October 26, 2022