Supreme Court Begins a New Term

The Supreme Court begins its 2011–12 term today, its second full one with three women justices. This term should be a busy one for the court, as it’s expected to hear a wide range of cases that set far-reaching precedents, including three cases of interest to AAUW.

The health care reform case will likely dominate because of public interest and political impact. This case, officially known as U.S. Department of Health and Human Services v. State of Florida, will examine whether the legal requirement that all Americans have health insurance is constitutional. If the court overturns this provision, it could leave the remainder of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act standing or strike down the entire act as unconstitutional. Throwing out the entire law could have serious implications for the provisions that AAUW supports, such as requiring insurers to cover preexisting conditions, ending insurers’ practice of charging women more for coverage than men, and covering preventive care without co-pays or cost sharing.

In Daniel Coleman v. Court of Appeals of Maryland, the court will determine whether state employees can sue in federal court if their employers unlawfully deny Family Medical Leave Act requests. In 2007, Maryland state employee Daniel Coleman was fired after his doctor put him on bed rest and he requested medical leave under FMLA. Coleman filed a lawsuit under the self-care provision of FMLA, which guarantees eligible employees 12 weeks of job-protected, unpaid leave each year to recover from a serious health condition. Lower courts concluded that the State of Maryland is immune to federal lawsuits based on the 11th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits federal lawsuits against an unconsenting state unless Congress has unequivocally “abrogated” (revoked) the immunity. Coleman argues that by passing FMLA, Congress clearly intended the federal courts would be able to apply FMLA equally to both private and state employers. AAUW led the advocacy charge that resulted in the enactment of FMLA and will continue to work to ensure this act is protected from all threats.

The third case, Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, will determine which employees of religious institutions will be allowed the protection of federal anti-discrimination laws when facing illegal employment discrimination. In this case, Cheryl Perich was fired from her job as a teacher from the Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School when she tried to assert her rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The school claimed that federal anti-discrimination laws did not apply because of the “ministerial exemption” — a court-made interpretation of the First Amendment intended to protect freedom of religion. The school’s position is that this exemption means the federal government cannot enforce anti-discrimination laws for employees of religious institutions, even those who are engaged primarily in secular duties. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the scope and application of the exception and whether religious employers should be exempt from all anti-discrimination laws. AAUW opposes all forms of discrimination and supports constitutional protection for the civil rights of all individuals.

Given the court’s recent disappointing ruling in the Wal-Mart v. Dukes case last term, AAUW will closely monitor the court’s actions and the impact of its decisions. AAUW firmly supports a fair, balanced, and independent judiciary because so many of our fundamental rights and liberties have been established and are protected by the federal courts and Supreme Court precedents. To learn more about AAUW’s work on this issue, please visit our position page.