Doe v. Catholic Relief Services

On January 9, 2026, NWLC, along with our pro bono partner Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and 14 additional organizations committed to gender justice, filed an amicus brief before the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in support of plaintiff-appellee John Doe in the case of Doe v. Catholic Relief Services(“CRS”). In this case, CRS, a religious employer, initially provided healthcare benefits to a gay employee’s spouse, but then terminated employer health insurance coverage for Mr. Doe’s husband based on a religious objection to marriage equality. Mr. Doe won a positive judgment at trial finding that CRS’s discrimination was illegal, and his employer appealed, claiming it is entitled to discriminate.

Before the Fourth Circuit, CRS advanced harmful arguments that enforcement of key federal laws prohibiting discrimination in employment (here, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Pay Act of 1963) burdens its free exercise of religion as an employer. Our amicus brief explains why Title VII, the EPA, and Maryland’s state equal pay law (MFEPA) are all religiously neutral and generally applicable, and therefore apply equally to all employers to fulfill their purpose of combating employment discrimination. If the Fourth Circuit rules for CRS, it would diverge from the clear weight of precedent on this issue and create a novel test for nondiscrimination cases involving religious employers. This outcome would, in turn, subject marginalized workers like LGBTQI+ workers, women, and Black and brown workers to greater risk of discrimination in the Fourth Circuit and throughout the US. Read the full brief here.

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