Indiana Supreme Court rules in favor of Catholic homeschooling group

January 13, 2015

The Indiana Supreme Court has ruled that the Indiana Civil Rights Commission overstepped its bounds when it levied a $5,000 fine against a Catholic homeschooling group.

In 2008, the Fishers Adolescent Catholic Enrichment Society hosted an All Souls Day Masquerade Ball at which a chicken dinner was served. The mother of a student who is allergic to chicken asked whether the Society could serve beef instead.

The Society declined and permitted the mother to bring beef but without adjusting the ticket price. After the ball was held, the mother contacted the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, alleging that the Society failed to provide a disability-related accommodation.

“In trying to control the affairs of a small religious homeschool group, the Indiana Civil Rights Commission far overstepped its authority,” the Thomas More Society stated in its reaction to the decision. "Unfortunately, it took years of effort and hundreds of thousands of dollars in attorney time in order to stop this outrageous government overreach.”

 

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Further information:

• Indiana Supreme Court Strikes Down Overreach by State's Civil Rights Commission (Thomas More Society)
• Indiana Supreme Court Interprets Civil Rights Commission Jurisdiction Over Educational Matters Narrowly (Religion Clause blog)
• Full text of decision