U.S. Supreme Court Takes Up Wisconsin Ruling Stripping Tax Exemption From Christian Nonprofit

It’s an astonishing proposition at first glance: the Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that the social service ministries of Catholic Charities are not “churchy” enough, as though that is any business of the courts (or government in general) to decide. The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court are apparently skeptical as well, for they have voted to review the case. On March 31, the court will hear oral arguments from lawyers for the Catholic Church and the state agency charged with administering the unemployment insurance system. The Supreme Court hears perhaps 80 cases per term, about 1 percent of those that seek review, and many of these deal with issues specific to the federal government. It’s rare, in other words, for a case from Wisconsin

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