Breaking: Federal Court Rules for Catholic School That Fired Teacher in Same-Sex Union
A federal court in Indiana ruled on Friday in favor of a Catholic private school that fired a teacher who had entered into a same-sex union in violation of her contract with the institution. The Archdiocese of Indianapolis and its schools can select, retain, or dismiss faculty according to their religious standards, Judge Richard Young decided in Fitzgerald v. Roncalli High School and Archdiocese of Indianapolis. The case concerned instructor Shelly Fitzgerald, the co-director of guidance at Roncalli High School in Indianapolis, whose employment was terminated after she confirmed to the school three months after starting work there that she was in a same-sex union. The school placed her on administrative leave and declined to renew her contract for the following year, claiming that Fitzgerald’s admitted conduct was prohibited by the agreement she signed when she was hired. The guidance counselor subsequently launched a discrimination lawsuit against Roncalli and the ...