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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
US Department of Justice sues Washington over ‘anti-Catholic' law
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The United States Department of Justice is suing the State of Washington over a new law some have deemed 'anti-Catholic.' The lawsuit stems from , which requires clergy members to report child abuse and neglect, even if the information is shared with a priest during confession. The bill was signed into law by Washington Governor Bob Ferguson in May and takes effect July 27. On Monday, The DOJ filed a motion to intervene — or a motion to join — an existing lawsuit against the state that was filed by the Archdiocese of Seattle. These are the Pacific Northwest wines that won big at the 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards The DOJ argues that the Washington state law violates the free exercise of religion for all Catholics because it requires priests to break the confidentiality seal of confession, which could lead priests to be excommunicated from the Catholic Church. The DOJ claims this violates the First Amendment right to free exercise of religion and the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. 'Laws that explicitly target religious practices such as the Sacrament of Confession in the Catholic Church have no place in our society,' said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. Oregon appeals court finds gun forensics method is not 'scientifically valid' 'Senate Bill 5375 unconstitutionally forces Catholic priests in Washington to choose between their obligations to the Catholic Church and their penitents or face criminal consequences, while treating the priest-penitent privilege differently than other well-settled privileges. The Justice Department will not sit idly by when States mount attacks on the free exercise of religion,' Dhillon added. The Justice Department's motion to intervene is pending before the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington in Tacoma. In a statement to KOIN 6 News in response to the DOJ's suit, Governor Ferguson said, 'It is disappointing, but not surprising, to see the DOJ seek to shield and protect child abusers.' Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now A spokesperson for Washington Attorney General Nick Brown told KOIN 6 News that Brown's office does not comment on most pending litigation, noting they are reviewing the complaint and will respond in court. Washington State Senator Noel Frame (D-Seattle), who is the prime sponsor of SB 5375, added, 'We must take every step possible to make sure kids are safe. That's why I championed this bill and that's why it passed with bipartisan support. This law brings us in line with the majority of other states that require clergy to be mandatory reporters of abuse and neglect. We also join six other states – including Texas and Oklahoma – that require the reporting of abuse learned during penitential communication, including confession.' 'Whether you're from a red state or a blue state, keeping kids safe from abuse should be a non-partisan issue,' Frame continued. Portland bar hosts 'In Bed By 10' happy hour DJ parties The DOJ's filing comes after the Archdiocese of Seattle filed a lawsuit against Washington over the law, with Archbishop Paul D. Etienne releasing a statement in May threatening to excommunicate Catholic clergy who follow the law. Archbishop Etienne cited Acts 5:29, 'We must obey God rather than men,' saying, 'this is our stance now in the face of this new law. Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession – or they will be excommunicated from the Church. All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential and protected by the law of the Church.' The Archbishop added that the church agrees with protecting children and preventing child abuse, noting the Archdiocese of Seattle already has mandatory reporter policies for priests. However, those rules don't apply to information received during confession. 'Transformational partnership': Pac-12 reaches deal with CBS for football, men's basketball games 'During Confession, penitent Catholics confess aloud their sins to a Catholic priest, asking God for forgiveness,' the lawsuit argues. 'The seal of confidentiality is, therefore, the lifeblood of Confession. Without it, the free exercise of the Catholic religion, i.e. the apostolic duties performed by the Catholic priest to the benefit of Catholic parishioners, cannot take place.' Meanwhile, others argue that the law is not 'anti-Catholic,' rather, the law is focused on protecting children and getting abusers off the streets. In a phone call with KOIN 6 News, Mary Dispenza — representing the Pacific Northwest branch of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests — said it is 'absurd that they would file a suit' because SB 5375 is advocating to protect children. 'It's hard for me to believe that a bishop would file a suit,' Dispenza said, adding that the bill 'is not anti-Catholic. It's the best of Catholicism.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
WA facility caring for drug-exposed newborns at risk of closure after state funding cut
(Getty Images) The only medical facility focused on caring for drug-exposed babies in western Washington is pleading for help after Gov. Bob Ferguson vetoed its funding and the state abruptly canceled its contract. And a group of GOP lawmakers is urging Ferguson to find a way to keep the Kent facility operating. For decades, the Pediatric Interim Care Center has tended to babies born to mothers with substance use disorder. Just under half of its annual $1.7 million budget has usually come from the state, said Development Director Elaine Purchase. Fundraising makes up the rest. But this year, lawmakers slashed that funding to $100,000 in the face of a steep budget shortfall. The facility, known as PICC, was ready to make do with the deep cut and dip into its reserves, with the hope of making up for it when the Legislature returns next year. Then last month, Ferguson vetoed even that $100,000, as part of a slew of small items he removed to save money in the $78 billion two-year spending plan. And soon after, Purchase was 'blindsided' when the state Department of Children, Youth and Families cut its contract with the nursery, meaning no more babies would be referred there starting July 1. 'Which basically destroys our program,' Purchase said. 'Why would they abandon it for $100,000?' In a statement, the Department of Children, Youth and Families argued the center's state funding was 'not cost-effective.' Secretary Tana Senn said the center received money for its 13 beds regardless of how many babies it was serving, and didn't meet requirements to get Medicaid funding. 'We also want to clarify that DCYF is not shutting down the Kent PICC,' said Senn, a former state lawmaker. 'They can still accept referrals from hospitals and have informed DCYF on multiple occasions that they have sufficient charitable funding to continue serving children.' On Friday, state House Republican leadership, including Minority Leader Drew Stokesbary, of Auburn, took issue with the rationale and urged the state agency and Ferguson to reverse course. 'Governor Ferguson, throughout your first legislative session as governor, you said that you just wanted to do things that are 'common sense,'' the half-dozen lawmakers wrote. 'What is more common sense than using the power you hold to save the lives of innocent newborn babies?' The facility, open for 35 years, was caring for just one newborn Friday, said Purchase. It has been underused as the focus has shifted to keeping babies with their parents. Research has indicated parental involvement is integral in an infant's development. 'New evidence-based models demonstrate better outcomes for babies when they 'room in' at hospitals under the care of a physician or are in transitional care homes that allow the mother and baby to stay together,' Senn said. 'While hospitals, of course, may choose to continue to refer children to the Kent PICC, they have been doing so much less frequently as demonstrated by the current empty beds at the Kent PICC,' the agency secretary continued. 'Instead, hospitals more often refer infants to other facilities that use the current standard of care.' In 2021, the Legislature passed a measure known as the Keeping Families Together Act to help relatives take care of children who can't stay with their parents and to reduce racial disparities in the child welfare system. Critics blame the bipartisan law for a reported increase in child deaths, including from drug exposure. The average stay for babies at the Kent pediatric care center is 30 to 40 days. Most are exposed to fentanyl or methamphetamine. Since opening in 1990, the facility says it has cared for over 3,500 babies. 'We just want there to be a safe place for these little ones,' Purchase said. The governor did not provide comment on Friday, with a spokesperson for his office referring to the statement from the Department of Children, Youth and Families.
American Military News
3 days ago
- Politics
- American Military News
Trump admin sues Washington over 'anti-Catholic' law
President Donald Trump's Justice Department announced on Monday that it was taking legal action and filing a lawsuit against a new law in Washington State, claiming that it violates the First Amendment by forcing Catholic priests to break the 'confidentiality seal of Confession' by reporting certain confessions to government officials. In a Monday press release, the Justice Department confirmed that it had filed legal action against Washington state over a new state law, known as Senate Bill 5375. The Justice Department claimed that the state's new law 'violates the free exercise of religion for all Catholics, and requires Catholic priests to violate the confidentiality seal of Confession.' According to The Post Millennial, Washington's Senate Bill 5375, which was signed into law by Gov. Bob Ferguson (D-Wash.), requires Catholic priests to report confessions to government authorities if the confessions involve cases of suspected child neglect or abuse. READ MORE: FBI's targeting of Catholics, pro-lifers exposed by House GOP The Justice Department argued on Monday that Senate Bill 5375 forces Catholic priests to 'violate their vows to uphold the confidentiality seal that accompanies the sacred rite of Confession, subjecting them to immediate excommunication from the Catholic Church.' In Monday's press release, the Justice Department said its lawsuit shows that the Democrat-run state's new law violates the First Amendment's Free Exercise of Religion Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause by targeting Catholic priests and members of Catholic churches while establishing a double standard of confidentiality for religious and secular institutions. Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, said, 'Laws that explicitly target religious practices such as the Sacrament of Confession in the Catholic Church have no place in our society.' 'Senate Bill 5375 unconstitutionally forces Catholic priests in Washington to choose between their obligations to the Catholic Church and their penitents or face criminal consequences, while treating the priest-penitent privilege differently than other well-settled privileges,' Dhillon added. 'The Justice Department will not sit idly by when States mount attacks on the free exercise of religion.'
UPI
4 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
DOJ sues Wash. over law mandating priests to report child abuse
June 23 (UPI) -- The Trump administration filed a lawsuit Monday in support of a challenge to a new Washington State law mandating clergy to report child abuse, describing the rule as "anti-Catholic" and a violation of the Constitution. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Catholic, signed Senate Bill 5375 into law early last month. The new law, which goes into effect July 27, adds clergy members -- including priests, ministers, rabbi and imam, among others -- to the list of people required to report child abuse or neglect to the state or law enforcement under threat of being charged with a gross misdemeanor offense. The law has received pushback from local Catholics, who have characterized it as forcing them to break the sacred seal of confession in order to avoid prison. In the Justice Department's lawsuit, federal prosecutors argue the new law puts Catholic priests at odds with the core tenets and beliefs of their religion and violates their First Amendment right to the freedom of religion "by forcing them to violate the sanctity and confidentiality of confessional communications. "No other mandatory reporter is required to forego his or her fundamental rights under the Constitution in this manner," the lawsuit states, while adding that the law will have a "chilling effect" on thousands of Catholic priests and parishioners who may be uncertain about whether adhering to the sacrament of penance will open them to criminal penalties, child welfare investigations, civil liability or excommunication. "Laws that explicitly target religious practices such as the Sacrament of Confession in the Catholic Church have no place in our society," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights division said in a statement. "Senate Bill 5375 unconstitutionally forces Catholic priests in Washington to choose between their obligations to the Catholic Church and their penitents or face criminal consequences, while treating the priest-penitent privilege differently than other well-settled privileges." The lawsuit is an intervention in a complaint filed early this month by Washington State Catholic bishops, who argue it discriminates against them as attorneys are exempt from inclusion as mandatory reporters. "Washington State has no business intruding into the confessional -- particularly when they give a free pass to lawyers who have legally protected confidential relationships with clients," Mark Rienzi, president and CEO of Becket, a non-profit public interest religious liberty group that is representing the bishops, said in a statement. "Punishing priests for following the Catholic Church's millennia-old faith traditions isn't just wrong, it's unconstitutional." The governor told KUOW in a statement that he wasn't surprised by the Department of Justice's intervention. "It's disappointing, but not surprising, to see the DOJ seek to shield and protect child abusers."
Axios
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Axios
How Washington state's new gun permit law will work
Washington residents will need a permit to buy guns starting in 2027 — a change expected to affect thousands of potential buyers each year. Why it matters: Supporters say the law will boost public safety by helping keep guns out of the wrong hands. Opponents argue it infringes on Washingtonians' constitutional gun rights. State of play: Washington is the 13th U.S. state to approve a permit-to-purchase system for firearms, according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions. Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the legislation into law in May. What's inside: The new law will require people to get fingerprinted and complete a gun safety course with live-fire training before they can get a permit to buy a firearm. They will also have to submit a fee and application to the Washington State Patrol. Exceptions to the training requirement will be made for police officers and military members, as well as licensed private investigators and security guards who carry firearms. Once granted, a permit will be good for five years. What they're saying: Studies have found that states with similar gun-licensing laws have lower rates of gun violence, the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions says. In particular, requiring people to get their fingerprints taken as part of the permitting process can cut down on "straw purchases," in which one person buys a firearm for someone else who can't legally own one, Renée Hopkins, CEO of the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility, told Axios. Hopkins said the training requirements also promote safer gun handling, reducing the risks involved in having a gun at home. By the numbers: The State Patrol expects to receive about 200,000 permit applications the first year the law is fully implemented, and roughly 100,000 yearly after that. The other side: " This is the state government telling gun owners, you've got to get our permission to exercise your civil right — and that's not going to pass the smell test" in the courts, Dave Workman, editor-in-chief of TheGunMag, a publication of the Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation, told Axios. The fine print: Under the law, starting May 1, 2027, gun dealers in Washington won't be able to sell a firearm to someone unless the buyer has a valid purchasing permit. The State Patrol will certify which firearms courses meet the training requirements. (They must involve firing at least 50 rounds of ammunition.) Once the training has been completed, the State Patrol must approve applications unless the person is restricted from owning a firearm for another reason, like having an outstanding arrest warrant or being subject to a no-contact order. Permits will be revoked if a person later becomes prohibited from owning a firearm, such as through a new criminal conviction or a court order.
