Eva Palmer v. Liberty University, Incorporated
Opinion
USCA4 Appeal: 21-2390 Doc: 76 Filed: 06/30/2023 Pg: 1 of 57
PUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 21-2390
EVA PALMER,
Plaintiff – Appellant, v.
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY, INC.,
Defendant – Appellee.
------------------------------
AMERICANS UNITED FOR SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE,
Amicus Supporting Appellant/Cross-Appellee,
PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY; BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY; THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA; HOUSTON BAPTIST UNIVERSITY,
Amici Supporting Appellee/Cross-Appellant.
No. 21-2434
Plaintiff – Appellee,
v.
Defendant – Appellant. USCA4 Appeal: 21-2390 Doc: 76 Filed: 06/30/2023 Pg: 2 of 57
PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY; BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY; THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA; HOUSTON BAPTIST UNIVERSITY,
Appeals from the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, at Lynchburg. Norman K. Moon, Senior District Judge. (6:20-cv-00031-NKM-RSB)
Argued: January 26, 2023 Decided: June 30, 2023
Before KING and RICHARDSON, Circuit Judges, and MOTZ, Senior Circuit Judge.
Appeal No. 21-2390 affirmed, and Appeal No. 21-2434 dismissed and vacated, by published opinion. Judge King wrote the majority opinion, in which Judge Motz joined. Judge Motz wrote a concurring opinion. Judge Richardson wrote an opinion concurring in the judgment.
ARGUED: Richard F. Hawkins, III, THE HAWKINS LAW FIRM, PC, Richmond, Virginia, for Appellant/Cross-Appellee. King Fitchett Tower, WOODS ROGERS VANDEVENTER BLACK PLC, Roanoke, Virginia, for Appellee/Cross-Appellant. ON BRIEF: Leah M. Stiegler, WOODS ROGERS PLC, Richmond, Virginia; Horatio G. Mihet, Roger K. Gannam, Orlando, Florida, Mathew D. Staver, Washington, D.C., Daniel J. Schmid, LIBERTY COUNSEL, Lynchburg, Virginia, for Appellee/Cross-Appellant. Eric C. Rassbach, The Hugh and Hazel Darling Foundation Religious Liberty Clinic, PEPPERDINE CARUSO SCHOOL OF LAW, Malibu, California; Noel J. Francisco, Megan Lacy Owen, J. Benjamin Aguiñaga, JONES DAY, Washington, D.C., for Amici Pepperdine University, Brigham Young University, The Catholic University of America, and Houston Baptist University. Richard B. Katskee, Bradley Girard, Gabriela Hybel, AMERICANS UNITED FOR SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE, Washington, D.C., for Amicus Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
2 USCA4 Appeal: 21-2390 Doc: 76 Filed: 06/30/2023 Pg: 3 of 57
KING, Circuit Judge:
In these consolidated appeals from the Western District of Virginia, plaintiff Eva
Palmer challenges the district court’s award of summary judgment to defendant Liberty
University, Inc. (“Liberty”) on Palmer’s claim of age discrimination, pursued under
provisions of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (the “ADEA”). See Palmer v.
Liberty Univ., Inc., No. 6:20-cv-00031 (W.D. Va. Dec. 10, 2021), ECF No. 37 (the
“Statutory Ruling”). On the other hand, Liberty, by cross-appeal, challenges an earlier
award of summary judgment that was made to Palmer, in which the court ruled that Palmer
was not a “minister” for purposes of the First Amendment’s so-called “ministerial
exception.” See Palmer v. Liberty Univ., Inc., No. 6:20-cv-00031 (W.D. Va. Dec. 1, 2021),
ECF No. 35 (the “Constitutional Ruling”).
As explained herein, we agree with the district court that Palmer failed to produce
sufficient evidence of age-based discrimination to overcome Liberty’s summary judgment
motion on that issue. Accordingly, we are satisfied to affirm the Statutory Ruling in favor
of Liberty. Moreover, in light of that disposition — and pursuant to the constitutional
avoidance doctrine — we refrain from resolving whether Palmer was a minister for
purposes of the First Amendment’s ministerial exception. As a result, we are obliged to
dismiss Liberty’s cross-appeal and vacate the Constitutional Ruling.
3 USCA4 Appeal: 21-2390 Doc: 76 Filed: 06/30/2023 Pg: 4 of 57
I.
A.
Founded in 1971, Liberty is a Christian higher education institution located in
Lynchburg, Virginia. 1 With approximately 13,000 students enrolled at the main campus
— and an additional 90,000 students attending online — the educational courses at Liberty
“are taught from a biblical worldview and [are] designed in line with [the University’s]
mission to develop Christ-centered men and women.” See J.A. 41. 2 To that end, the faculty
members are considered by Liberty to be “messengers of Liberty’s Christian worldview,”
with the expectation that they incorporate Christian principles into teaching. Id. at 166.
For her part, Palmer — a self-professed follower of Christ — was an art professor
at Liberty for more than 30 years, from 1986 to 2018. Palmer began teaching at Liberty as
a part-time art instructor in 1986, and was soon thereafter promoted to a full-time position.
In 1992, Palmer was elevated to the rank of “Assistant Professor,” which she maintained
until her promotion to “Associate Professor” in 2006. Finally, as discussed herein, Palmer
was promoted to “Full Professor” in October 2016. During her career at Liberty, Palmer
taught “studio art courses” — i.e., traditional “ink and pen” art, such as painting, pottery,
1 We accept and recite herein the relevant facts — as the district court was obliged to do — in the light most favorable to Palmer, as the nonmoving party, with respect to Liberty’s summary judgment motion on Palmer’s ADEA claim. See T.H.E. Ins. Co. v. Davis, 54 F.4th 805, 812 n.2 (4th Cir. 2022) (citing Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587-88 (1986)). 2 Citations herein to “J.A. ___” refer to the contents of the Joint Appendix filed by the parties in this appeal.
4 USCA4 Appeal: 21-2390 Doc: 76 Filed: 06/30/2023 Pg: 5 of 57
and ceramics — in the Studio & Digital Arts Department (the “Department”), a part of
Liberty’s School of Visual and Performing Arts (“SVPA”). While employed by Liberty,
Palmer did not teach classes in the “digital arts,” an area focusing on topics such as graphic
design, production technology, digital illustration, and digital imaging.
B.
1.
For context, Liberty promotes its faculty members (nearly all of whom are employed
on an annual basis and serve without tenure) based on certain specified criteria. As relevant
here, for a faculty member to be elevated to Full Professor — the highest faculty rank
attainable at Liberty — the faculty member must have, inter alia, “at least five (5) years of
successful teaching experience at the associate professor rank.” See J.A. 1328. Liberty
faculty members are obliged to demonstrate “recent scholarly or professional productivity
. . . in significant regional or national forums,” including by publishing
successful textbooks, scholarly monographs, scholarly articles in journals published with peer review, numerous articles in non-refereed professional magazines, numerous articles in high quality magazines aimed at segments of the general public, successful artistic performances (as recognized by other professionals in one’s field), books, articles, and creative performances actually published, presented, or under contract.
Id. at 1328-29.
In addition to the above-referenced criteria for promotion, Liberty faculty members
receive annual performance evaluations based on what is called a “Faculty Portfolio” (the
“Portfolio”). See J.A. 917. The Portfolio consists of nine specified criteria, but only the
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USCA4 Appeal: 21-2390 Doc: 76 Filed: 06/30/2023 Pg: 1 of 57
PUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 21-2390
EVA PALMER,
Plaintiff – Appellant, v.
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY, INC.,
Defendant – Appellee.
------------------------------
AMERICANS UNITED FOR SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE,
Amicus Supporting Appellant/Cross-Appellee,
PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY; BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY; THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA; HOUSTON BAPTIST UNIVERSITY,
Amici Supporting Appellee/Cross-Appellant.
No. 21-2434
Plaintiff – Appellee,
v.
Defendant – Appellant. USCA4 Appeal: 21-2390 Doc: 76 Filed: 06/30/2023 Pg: 2 of 57
PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY; BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY; THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA; HOUSTON BAPTIST UNIVERSITY,
Appeals from the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, at Lynchburg. Norman K. Moon, Senior District Judge. (6:20-cv-00031-NKM-RSB)
Argued: January 26, 2023 Decided: June 30, 2023
Before KING and RICHARDSON, Circuit Judges, and MOTZ, Senior Circuit Judge.
Appeal No. 21-2390 affirmed, and Appeal No. 21-2434 dismissed and vacated, by published opinion. Judge King wrote the majority opinion, in which Judge Motz joined. Judge Motz wrote a concurring opinion. Judge Richardson wrote an opinion concurring in the judgment.
ARGUED: Richard F. Hawkins, III, THE HAWKINS LAW FIRM, PC, Richmond, Virginia, for Appellant/Cross-Appellee. King Fitchett Tower, WOODS ROGERS VANDEVENTER BLACK PLC, Roanoke, Virginia, for Appellee/Cross-Appellant. ON BRIEF: Leah M. Stiegler, WOODS ROGERS PLC, Richmond, Virginia; Horatio G. Mihet, Roger K. Gannam, Orlando, Florida, Mathew D. Staver, Washington, D.C., Daniel J. Schmid, LIBERTY COUNSEL, Lynchburg, Virginia, for Appellee/Cross-Appellant. Eric C. Rassbach, The Hugh and Hazel Darling Foundation Religious Liberty Clinic, PEPPERDINE CARUSO SCHOOL OF LAW, Malibu, California; Noel J. Francisco, Megan Lacy Owen, J. Benjamin Aguiñaga, JONES DAY, Washington, D.C., for Amici Pepperdine University, Brigham Young University, The Catholic University of America, and Houston Baptist University. Richard B. Katskee, Bradley Girard, Gabriela Hybel, AMERICANS UNITED FOR SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE, Washington, D.C., for Amicus Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
2 USCA4 Appeal: 21-2390 Doc: 76 Filed: 06/30/2023 Pg: 3 of 57
KING, Circuit Judge:
In these consolidated appeals from the Western District of Virginia, plaintiff Eva
Palmer challenges the district court’s award of summary judgment to defendant Liberty
University, Inc. (“Liberty”) on Palmer’s claim of age discrimination, pursued under
provisions of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (the “ADEA”). See Palmer v.
Liberty Univ., Inc., No. 6:20-cv-00031 (W.D. Va. Dec. 10, 2021), ECF No. 37 (the
“Statutory Ruling”). On the other hand, Liberty, by cross-appeal, challenges an earlier
award of summary judgment that was made to Palmer, in which the court ruled that Palmer
was not a “minister” for purposes of the First Amendment’s so-called “ministerial
exception.” See Palmer v. Liberty Univ., Inc., No. 6:20-cv-00031 (W.D. Va. Dec. 1, 2021),
ECF No. 35 (the “Constitutional Ruling”).
As explained herein, we agree with the district court that Palmer failed to produce
sufficient evidence of age-based discrimination to overcome Liberty’s summary judgment
motion on that issue. Accordingly, we are satisfied to affirm the Statutory Ruling in favor
of Liberty. Moreover, in light of that disposition — and pursuant to the constitutional
avoidance doctrine — we refrain from resolving whether Palmer was a minister for
purposes of the First Amendment’s ministerial exception. As a result, we are obliged to
dismiss Liberty’s cross-appeal and vacate the Constitutional Ruling.
3 USCA4 Appeal: 21-2390 Doc: 76 Filed: 06/30/2023 Pg: 4 of 57
I.
A.
Founded in 1971, Liberty is a Christian higher education institution located in
Lynchburg, Virginia. 1 With approximately 13,000 students enrolled at the main campus
— and an additional 90,000 students attending online — the educational courses at Liberty
“are taught from a biblical worldview and [are] designed in line with [the University’s]
mission to develop Christ-centered men and women.” See J.A. 41. 2 To that end, the faculty
members are considered by Liberty to be “messengers of Liberty’s Christian worldview,”
with the expectation that they incorporate Christian principles into teaching. Id. at 166.
For her part, Palmer — a self-professed follower of Christ — was an art professor
at Liberty for more than 30 years, from 1986 to 2018. Palmer began teaching at Liberty as
a part-time art instructor in 1986, and was soon thereafter promoted to a full-time position.
In 1992, Palmer was elevated to the rank of “Assistant Professor,” which she maintained
until her promotion to “Associate Professor” in 2006. Finally, as discussed herein, Palmer
was promoted to “Full Professor” in October 2016. During her career at Liberty, Palmer
taught “studio art courses” — i.e., traditional “ink and pen” art, such as painting, pottery,
1 We accept and recite herein the relevant facts — as the district court was obliged to do — in the light most favorable to Palmer, as the nonmoving party, with respect to Liberty’s summary judgment motion on Palmer’s ADEA claim. See T.H.E. Ins. Co. v. Davis, 54 F.4th 805, 812 n.2 (4th Cir. 2022) (citing Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587-88 (1986)). 2 Citations herein to “J.A. ___” refer to the contents of the Joint Appendix filed by the parties in this appeal.
4 USCA4 Appeal: 21-2390 Doc: 76 Filed: 06/30/2023 Pg: 5 of 57
and ceramics — in the Studio & Digital Arts Department (the “Department”), a part of
Liberty’s School of Visual and Performing Arts (“SVPA”). While employed by Liberty,
Palmer did not teach classes in the “digital arts,” an area focusing on topics such as graphic
design, production technology, digital illustration, and digital imaging.
B.
1.
For context, Liberty promotes its faculty members (nearly all of whom are employed
on an annual basis and serve without tenure) based on certain specified criteria. As relevant
here, for a faculty member to be elevated to Full Professor — the highest faculty rank
attainable at Liberty — the faculty member must have, inter alia, “at least five (5) years of
successful teaching experience at the associate professor rank.” See J.A. 1328. Liberty
faculty members are obliged to demonstrate “recent scholarly or professional productivity
. . . in significant regional or national forums,” including by publishing
successful textbooks, scholarly monographs, scholarly articles in journals published with peer review, numerous articles in non-refereed professional magazines, numerous articles in high quality magazines aimed at segments of the general public, successful artistic performances (as recognized by other professionals in one’s field), books, articles, and creative performances actually published, presented, or under contract.
Id. at 1328-29.
In addition to the above-referenced criteria for promotion, Liberty faculty members
receive annual performance evaluations based on what is called a “Faculty Portfolio” (the
“Portfolio”). See J.A. 917. The Portfolio consists of nine specified criteria, but only the
first of those — entitled “Operational elements of instruction/administration” — is
5 USCA4 Appeal: 21-2390 Doc: 76 Filed: 06/30/2023 Pg: 6 of 57
pertinent here. That criterion asks the following question: “When teaching, do you record
grades in Blackboard, return assignments and answer email in a timely fashion, use
technology in a manner appropriate to the discipline, and meet all instruction-related
deadlines?” Id. at 1331 (emphasis added).
The Portfolio requires a faculty member to initially conduct a self-evaluation of his
or her own performance. Those self-evaluations are then reviewed by the faculty member’s
department chair, who provides additional comments and recommendations. At the final
step in the evaluation process, the department chair’s submissions are reviewed by the
appropriate dean and, if necessary, supplemented with further recommendations.
According to University policy and procedures, faculty members are expected to
implement recommendations they receive in the Portfolio. Here, Palmer reported directly
to a Liberty official named Smith, who served as Chair of the Department. Chair Smith
reported directly to a Dean named Hayes, who had been for a time an Associate Dean of
the SVPA, but in 2018 was elevated to the role of SVPA Dean. And as SVPA Dean, Hayes
reported directly to Dr. Hicks, the Provost of Liberty.
2.
Starting in 2013, Palmer — then an Associate Professor — applied for promotion
to the academic rank of Full Professor. Initially, Palmer’s promotion efforts were
unsuccessful, primarily due to her low rate of producing scholarly works and publications.
Around that time, in an effort to facilitate her promotion, Palmer worked with her
supervisors — Department Chair Smith and Dean Hayes — to develop a so-called
“Professional Development Plan” (the “Promotion Plan”). Broadly speaking, the
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Promotion Plan spelled out the expectations that Palmer had to satisfy to become a Full
Professor. The Promotion Plan primarily emphasized that Palmer needed to substantially
increase her scholarly output. Meanwhile, in another section entitled “Regarding
Technology,” the Promotion Plan related that Palmer should also work toward developing
a digital art skillset and improve her technology skills. Recognizing that she needed to
develop those types of digital art skills, Palmer likewise established personal “goals for
improvement” related to technology. Id. at 1134.
From 2014 to 2016, Palmer worked toward meeting the goals set forth in the
Promotion Plan. Perhaps most important, Liberty administrators recognized that Palmer
had substantially increased her scholarly work and presented her work at peer-reviewed
conferences. As a result, Palmer was promoted to Full Professor in October 2016 — at the
age of 77. At that time, Dean Hayes — who supported Palmer’s promotion efforts —
related in correspondence that Palmer had “satisfactorily completed a three-year plan to
increase . . . the quantity and quality of her creative output, exhibit her work, present at
peer-reviewed conferences, publish as appropriate, improve her teaching, and
meaningfully participate in . . . university functions.” See J.A. 979.
Around that same time period, Palmer also received annual Portfolio evaluations.
Those evaluations — which contained recommendations from Department Chair Hayes
and Dean Smith — recurrently emphasized the need for Palmer to improve her technology
and digital art skills in order to teach digital art courses and to incorporate technology into
her existing courses. See J.A. 938-39 (2013-14 Portfolio comment by Chair Smith
recommending that Palmer “continue [taking] technology courses” and make
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improvements regarding “incorporation of educational technology” into courses); id. at
940 (2014-15 Portfolio notation by Chair Smith rating Palmer as “Below Expectations”
and recommending that Palmer “further develop her skills in essential areas related to
digital technology and communication”); id. at 941 (2015-16 Portfolio notation by Chair
Smith rating Palmer as “Below Expectations” in area of technology and recommending
that Palmer “further develop her skills in essential areas related to digital technology”); id.
at 945-946 (2016-17 Portfolio comment by Dean Hayes recognizing continued and
ongoing issues with Palmer’s teaching style); id. at 946 (2017-18 Portfolio comment by
Palmer herself that she was continuing to “learn and utilize new technologies” in her
courses); but see id. at 949 (2017-18 Portfolio comment by Dean Hayes advising of
“significant criticisms” relating to Palmer’s “teaching style effectiveness”).
3.
Following Palmer’s promotion to Full Professor in October 2016, Liberty
experienced an increase in demand for digital art courses, along with a related need for
instructors and professors qualified to teach such courses. Notwithstanding extensive
Portfolio recommendations that Palmer bolster her technology and digital art skills, along
with Palmer’s promise to improve those skills, she was nonetheless not qualified in the Fall
of 2017 to teach digital art courses for Liberty.
Beginning in the Fall of 2017, Department Chair Smith and Dean Hayes expressed
reservations about whether Palmer’s teaching contract should be renewed for the upcoming
2018-19 school year. In November 2017, the Dean — in consultation with the Chair —
resolved that Palmer’s contract for the upcoming school year should not be renewed. That
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decision, according to both administrators, was predicated on the Department’s need to
hire more “cross-over” faculty members — i.e., those who could teach both studio and
digital arts courses, either in person or online. To that end, the Dean and Chair assessed
how they would handle Palmer’s notice of nonrenewal. The two administrators discussed
the possibility that Palmer could retire instead of facing nonrenewal (although Smith and
Hayes had not discussed that option with Palmer, and she had otherwise not indicated any
desire to retire). Following up on those deliberations, Chair Smith sent Dean Hayes a
document identifying Palmer as “Retiring” for the 2018-19 school year, as opposed to
indicating a “Non-Renewal.” See J.A. 1341 (the “first retirement comment”).
By correspondence of November 30, 2017, Dean Hayes formally notified Provost
Hicks about the nonrenewal recommendation for Palmer, specifying two supporting
reasons. First, the Dean related that Palmer was not qualified to teach digital arts courses
— which were courses where Liberty was “struggling” to meet an increase in student
demand — despite persistent Portfolio recommendations by the Dean and the Chair that
Palmer “gain further skills with digital design software.” See J.A. 988. Second, the Dean
underscored that Palmer was not qualified to teach any courses on Liberty’s online
platform. Dean Hayes also informed the Provost that Palmer was the only faculty member
in the Department who had not taught digital art courses for Liberty, and who did not
possess the requisite technology skills to teach such courses.
Furthermore, the Dean’s November 2017 correspondence explained the discrepancy
between his October 2016 suggestion that Palmer be promoted to Full Professor, and his
November 2017 recommendation against renewing Palmer’s teaching contract. Dean
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Hayes recognized that “Palmer was promoted last year” to Full Professor because of a
“three year trend in her academic scholarship.” See J.A. 988. But he observed that
Palmer’s “scholarship [had] not resulted in improving the range of content . . . [she] can
teach for [the Department],” including online and digital arts-based courses. Id.
Soon thereafter, Provost Hicks suggested to Dean Hayes the possibility of giving
Palmer a year to improve her technology and digital art skills, or consequently face
nonrenewal for the following 2019-20 school year. The Dean rejected the Provost’s
suggestion in a December 2017 email, relating that Palmer would “have great difficulty
with any changes, and this would most likely exacerbate negative student experiences.”
See J.A. 1409 (the “resistant-to-change comment”). A few months later, in March 2018,
the Provost remarked that he would consider characterizing Palmer’s forthcoming
nonrenewal as a “retirement,” but only if Palmer brought up an issue of retirement in
response to the nonrenewal. See J.A. 1340-43, 1329 (the “second retirement comment”).
4.
In April 2018, Liberty notified Palmer — who was then 79 years old — that her
teaching contract would not be renewed for the upcoming 2018-19 school year. Although
Palmer responded unfavorably to the nonrenewal notice, she did not raise any issue about
retirement. Accordingly, Liberty did not give Palmer the option of retiring before her
termination, which occurred at the end of May 2018. 3
3 Following Palmer’s April 2018 nonrenewal, Liberty posted a job listing seeking an art instructor with “some experience in studio art,” along with “expertise in one of the following: graphic design, animation, motion graphics, UI/UX design, responsive web (Continued) 10 USCA4 Appeal: 21-2390 Doc: 76 Filed: 06/30/2023 Pg: 11 of 57
C.
After exhausting her administrative remedies with the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission, Palmer initiated this lawsuit in the Western District of Virginia
in March 2020. See Palmer v. Liberty Univ., Inc., No. 6:20-cv-00031 (Mar. 20, 2020),
ECF No. 1. Her complaint — which solely pursues an ADEA claim of unlawful age
discrimination — alleges that Liberty “discriminated against Palmer” by not “renew[ing]
her employment contract for bogus reasons.” Id. at 5.
After extensive discovery proceedings, Liberty moved for summary judgment in
July 2021. In support of that request, Liberty asserted that the ministerial exception — an
affirmative defense to liability rooted in the First Amendment — serves to bar Palmer’s
ADEA lawsuit from being pursued in federal court. 4 Liberty maintained that Palmer (as
an art Professor at Liberty) qualifies as a minister under the legal principles established by
the Supreme Court’s recent decisions in Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church &
design, and game design.” See J.A. 995. Between the Fall of 2019 and the Spring of 2020, Liberty hired four new graphic design instructors — all of whom had prior experience teaching graphic design courses, working in the graphic design industry, or both. 4 As the Supreme Court has recognized, the First Amendment’s ministerial exception “precludes application of [employment-discrimination] legislation to claims concerning the employment relationship between a religious institution and its ministers.” See Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & Sch. v. EEOC, 565 U.S. 171, 188 (2012). The exception “operates as an affirmative defense to an otherwise cognizable claim, not a jurisdictional bar[,] . . . because [it concerns] ‘whether the allegations the plaintiff makes entitle him to relief,’ not whether the court has ‘power to hear the case.’” Id. (quoting Morrison v. Nat’l Australia Bank Ltd., 561 U.S. 247, 254 (2010)).
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School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 565 U.S. 171 (2012), and Our Lady
of Guadalupe v. Morrissey-Beru, 140 S. Ct. 2049 (2020). Meanwhile, Palmer filed in July
2021 a cross-motion for summary judgment on the ministerial exception constitutional
issue, maintaining that she was not a minister — either formally or informally — while
employed by Liberty.
In November 2021, Liberty filed another motion for summary judgment, addressing
the merits of Palmer’s ADEA claim. More specifically, Liberty asserted that the ADEA
claim fails as a matter of law, in that Palmer did not produce sufficient direct or
circumstantial evidence of age-based discrimination by Liberty to warrant a jury trial.
The district court resolved the parties’ summary judgment motions by separate
rulings rendered in December 2021. First, by its Constitutional Ruling, the court granted
Palmer’s motion for summary judgment, concluding that Palmer was not a minister for
purposes of the ministerial exception. Second, by its Statutory Ruling, the court awarded
summary judgment to Liberty, rejecting Palmer’s ADEA claim on its merits.
By its Constitutional Ruling of December 1, 2021, the district court determined that,
pursuant to the Supreme Court’s decisions in Hosana-Tabor and Our Lady of Guadalupe,
Palmer was not a minister during her teaching career at Liberty, and thus ruled that the
ministerial exception does not bar her ADEA claim. As the Ruling explained, “Liberty
never referred to [Palmer] as a ‘minister,’ ‘chaplain,’ ‘pastor,’ or any other similar term.”
See Constitutional Ruling 9-10. The court also related that, “[a]lthough [Palmer] led
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students in prayer before class, the evidence . . . does not support that [Palmer] did anything
more ministerial, such as taking students to church services or giving religious lessons.”
Id. at 15. Thus, the court concluded that Palmer was not a minister for purposes of the
First Amendment’s ministerial exception.
By its Statutory Ruling of December 10, 2021, the district court awarded summary
judgment to Liberty on Palmer’s lone claim of ADEA age discrimination. On that score,
the Statutory Ruling addressed and resolved, inter alia, two related issues: “(1) whether
Palmer has established direct evidence of [age] discrimination; [and] (2) if she has not
established direct evidence, whether she has established sufficient indirect evidence to
make out a prima facie employment discrimination case under the analysis laid out in
McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792 (1973).” See Statutory Ruling 2.
In explaining its Statutory Ruling, the district court first concluded that Palmer had
failed to produce any direct evidence of age discrimination. In the court’s view, the direct
evidence that Palmer offered — i.e., the notations that Palmer was “retiring” and Hayes’s
comment that Palmer would “have great difficulty with any changes,” see J.A. 948, 1409
— did not “‘reflect directly the alleged discriminatory attitude’” of Liberty, nor did they
“‘bear directly on the contested employment decision,’” see Statutory Ruling 9-10 (quoting
Warch v. Ohio Cas. Ins. Co., 435 F.3d 510, 520 (4th Cir. 2006)). Nevertheless, the court
recognized that, if those comments did “reflect age-based discrimination,” Palmer yet
could not show “that her age was the but-for cause of her . . . non-renewal.” Id. at 12 (citing
Gross v. FBL Fin. Serv., Inc., 557 U.S. 167, 177-78 (2009)). The court emphasized that
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“Liberty’s evidence about terminating Palmer for being unable to teach digital arts courses
is a legitimate motivation and Palmer has not offered sufficient evidence to show that
Liberty’s stated reason was not the reason for her termination.” Id. at 13.
The district court then assessed whether Palmer’s age discrimination claim could be
premised on a theory of circumstantial evidence. Against the backdrop of the Supreme
Court’s 1973 McDonnell Douglas decision — which requires a plaintiff to initially make
a prima facie case in order to proceed under that evidentiary theory — the court reasoned
that, although Palmer was a “member of a protected class” (i.e., age 40 or older), had
“suffered an adverse employment action,” and was “replaced by or treated less favorably
than someone outside the protected class or someone substantially younger,” she had failed
to meet Liberty’s legitimate expectations at the time of her 2018 nonrenewal because she
failed to develop a digital art skillset. See Statutory Ruling 13-14.
In that regard, the Statutory Ruling emphasized that, although Department Chair
Smith and Dean Hicks repeatedly “prompt[ed] Palmer to develop a digital art skillset” by
way of the Portfolio, she “never developed that skillset.” See Statutory Ruling 14. As to
Palmer’s claim that she “was not aware of the full extent of Liberty’s dissatisfaction with
her performance,” the court deemed that fact as “irrelevant to the ADEA analysis because
‘it is the perception of the decision maker which is relevant, not the self-assessment of the
plaintiff.’” Id. (quoting Hawkins v. PepsiCo, Inc., 203 F.3d 274, 280 (4th Cir. 2000)).
Because Palmer failed to make a prima facie case of age discrimination, the court
concluded that her ADEA claim could not proceed on a circumstantial evidence theory.
On those bases, the Statutory Ruling awarded summary judgment to Liberty.
14 USCA4 Appeal: 21-2390 Doc: 76 Filed: 06/30/2023 Pg: 15 of 57
In December 2021, Palmer timely appealed from the Statutory Ruling. That appeal
was filed in this Court as Appeal No. 21-2390. Two weeks thereafter, on December 29,
2021, Liberty noticed its cross-appeal of the Constitutional Ruling. Liberty’s appeal was
filed as Appeal No. 21-2434. We have consolidated those appeals, and we possess
jurisdiction over them pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291.
II.
We review an award of summary judgment de novo. See Bright v. Coastal Lumber
Co., 962 F.2d 365, 368 (4th Cir. 1992). Summary judgment is only appropriate when —
viewing the facts in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party (here, Palmer) — the
moving party (Liberty) has demonstrated that “‘there is no genuine dispute as to any
material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.’” See FDIC v.
Cashion, 720 F.3d 169, 173 (4th Cir. 2013) (quoting Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a)).
III.
On appeal, Palmer contends that we should vacate the Statutory Ruling and remand
to the district court for a jury trial on her age discrimination claim. More specifically,
Palmer maintains that she presented both direct and circumstantial evidence of age-based
discrimination by Liberty, and that the district court thus erred in awarding summary
judgment to Liberty on her ADEA Claim. Meanwhile, despite urging affirmance as to the
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Statutory Ruling, Liberty urges in its cross-appeal that we should reverse the Constitutional
Ruling and decide that Palmer was a minister under the First Amendment.
As explained below, Palmer has failed to produce direct or circumstantial evidence
of age-based discrimination by Liberty. Accordingly, we are obliged to affirm the
Statutory Ruling. In light of that affirmance, we will adhere to the constitutional avoidance
doctrine and not address the constitutional question of whether Palmer was a minister
during her teaching career at Liberty.
We begin our analysis with Palmer’s appellate challenge to the propriety of the
Statutory Ruling. Under the ADEA, an employer may not “discharge any individual or
otherwise discriminate against any individual . . . because of such individual’s age.” See
29 U.S.C. § 623(a)(1). An employee who alleges that her employer violated that
prohibition “must prove by a preponderance of the evidence (which may be direct or
circumstantial), that age was the ‘but-for’ cause of the challenged employer decision.” See
Gross v. FBL Fin. Servs., Inc., 557 U.S. 167, 177-78 (2009). That is, “an employee cannot
prevail . . . by showing that age was one of multiple motives for an employer’s [adverse
employment] decision; the employee must prove that the employer would not have fired
her in the absence of age discrimination.” See Westmoreland v. TWC Admin. LLC, 924
F.3d 718, 725 (4th Cir. 2019) (internal quotation marks omitted).
Direct evidence of age discrimination has been described in the employer/employee
context as evidence that the employer “announced, or admitted, or otherwise unmistakably
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indicated that age was a determining factor.” See Cline v. Roadway Express, Inc., 689 F.2d
481, 485 (4th Cir. 1982). In other words, the requisite direct evidence in an ADEA case is
“evidence of conduct or statements that both reflect directly the alleged discriminatory
attitude and that bear directly on the contested employment decision.” See Warch v. Ohio
Cas. Ins. Co., 435 F.3d 510, 520 (4th Cir. 2006) (internal quotation marks omitted).
If a plaintiff cannot produce direct evidence of age-based discrimination, an ADEA
claim can nevertheless be pursued under a circumstantial evidence theory. See McDonnell
Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 801-02 (1973); Mereish v. Walker, 359 F.3d 330,
333-35 (4th Cir. 2004) (applying McDonnell Douglas framework to ADEA claim). To
proceed thereunder, three steps must be satisfied:
(1) the plaintiff must first establish a prima facie case of [age discrimination]; (2) the burden of production then shifts to the employer to articulate a non- discriminatory or non-retaliatory reason for the adverse action; (3) the burden then shifts back to the plaintiff to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the stated reason for the adverse employment action is a pretext and that the true reason is discriminatory.
See Guessous v. Fairview Prop. Invs., LLC, 828 F.3d 208, 216 (4th Cir. 2016).
On the first step, the plaintiff can make a prima facie case of age discrimination by
demonstrating that “(1) [she] is a member of a protected class, (2) [she] suffered an adverse
employment action (such as discharge), (3) [she] was performing [her] job duties at a level
that met the employer’s legitimate expectations at the time of the adverse employment
action, and (4) [her] position remained open or was filled by a similarly qualified applicant
outside the protected class.” See Baqir v. Principi, 434 F.3d 733, 742 (4th Cir. 2006). Of
importance, if the plaintiff fails to make the requisite prima face case, our inquiry under
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the McDonnell Douglas framework ends at step one. See King v. Rumsfeld, 328 F.3d 145,
150 (4th Cir. 2003) (concluding that employer did not need to supply explanation for
adverse employment action because plaintiff failed to make prima facie case).
Against this backdrop of controlling legal principles, we will first assess whether
Palmer produced direct evidence of age discrimination to pursue her ADEA claim in
federal court. Because she has not, we will then assess whether Palmer has produced
circumstantial evidence of age-based discrimination — more specifically, whether she has
made a prima facie case of age discrimination under the McDonnell Douglas framework.
We have no trouble agreeing with the district court’s conclusion in its Statutory
Ruling that Palmer failed to produce direct evidence of age discrimination. As in the
district court proceedings, Palmer emphasizes on appeal the first and second retirement
comments made by the Dean and the Provost — along with the Dean’s resistant-to-change
comment — as constituting direct evidence of age discrimination. According to Palmer,
those comments demonstrate that Liberty harbored age-based animus towards her and did
not renew her contract on account of her age. As explained further below, we disagree.
Starting with the retirement comments, at least two of our sister circuits have
concluded that mere comments or inquiries about retirement — without more — fail to
constitute direct evidence of age discrimination. See Moore v. Eli Lilly & Co., 990 F.2d
812, 818 (5th Cir. 1993) (resolving that employer’s questions about employee’s age and
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retirement plans did not reveal discriminatory intent); Woythal v. Tex-Tenn Corp., 112 F.3d
243, 247 (6th Cir. 1997) (concluding that employer’s questions about employee’s
retirement “do not amount to evidence” that age was motivation for termination); Lefevers
v. GAF Fiberglass Corp., 667 F.3d 721, 724 (6th Cir. 2012) (recognizing that “questions
concerning an employee’s retirement plans do not alone constitute direct evidence of age
discrimination”). We agree with and adopt that well-reasoned proposition. As applied to
the facts here, neither the first nor the second retirement comments amount to direct
evidence of age-based discrimination that is attributable to Liberty.
For starters, the retirement comments were not actually presented to Palmer —
rather, they were made by the Dean and by the Provost of Liberty during internal
deliberations about how to handle Palmer’s nonrenewal if she brought up the possibility of
retirement. Second, even if those comments had been addressed directly to Palmer, they
were devoid of any reference to Palmer’s age. See Halloway v. Milwaukee Cnty., 180 F.3d
820, 825 (7th Cir. 1999) (recognizing that employer’s requests that employee retire are not
reference to age). And on this record, neither the first nor the second retirement comments
— without more — constitute direct evidence of age-based discrimination by Liberty.
Our conclusion that the retirement comments do not amount to direct evidence of
age discrimination also finds support in a 1997 Seventh Circuit decision. See Kaniff v.
Allstate Insurance Co., 121 F.3d 258 (7th Cir. 1997). In Kaniff, a supervisor suggested
that the plaintiff retire after the defendant learned that the plaintiff was not adequately
performing. The Kaniff plaintiff asserted that the supervisor’s comment amounted to direct
evidence of age-based discrimination. The court of appeals disagreed, however,
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emphasizing that “the suggestion of retirement was made only after” the company had
determined that the plaintiff was not performing adequately. Id. at 263. As the Seventh
Circuit explained, “the possibility of retirement was raised by [the employer] only in order
to spare [the employee] the embarrassment of being terminated.” Id. Similar to that
decision, Dean Hayes and Provost Hicks contemplated retirement as an option if Palmer
brought up that issue as an alternative to nonrenewal. Most notably — and again similar
to the facts underlying Kaniff — the retirement comments emphasized here were made
after the Dean and the Provost had concluded that Palmer was not meeting the University’s
legitimate technology-related expectations. 5
Moving on, the resistant-to-change comment made by Dean Hayes in December
2017 also does not constitute direct evidence of age discrimination. Specifically, the
Dean’s comment does not “reflect directly the alleged discriminatory attitude” of Liberty.
See Warch, 435 F.3d at 520. Similar to the two retirement comments, the resistant-to-
change comment was not connected to Palmer’s age. We agree with the district court’s
cogent point that “Palmer provides no evidence that Liberty believed Palmer was resistant
to change solely, or even partially, because of her age.” See Statutory Ruling 12. Rather,
5 Addressing the two retirement comments, the ADEA Ruling explained that Palmer’s case was not a “forced retirement,” which the district court acknowledged can be “impermissible under the ADEA.” See ADEA Ruling 11 (internal quotation marks omitted). We agree with that assessment. Indeed, “Liberty only contemplated offering Palmer the opportunity to retire after . . . deciding that it would terminate her for not developing digital skills.” Id. (emphasis added). Thus, it cannot be said that Liberty “forced” Palmer to retire from her position as an art professor.
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“Liberty believed that Palmer was resistant to change because of her demonstrated failure
to develop digital skills after her supervisors repeatedly advised her to do so.” Id.
Despite Palmer’s inability to present direct evidence of age discrimination on the
part of Liberty, we must — pursuant to the McDonnell Douglas framework — also assess
whether her ADEA claim can be premised on a circumstantial evidence theory. On that
score, the parties mainly dispute whether Palmer has satisfied the third element of the prima
facie case — whether she “was performing [her] job duties at a level that met the
employer’s legitimate expectations at the time” of her nonrenewal. See Baqir, 434 F.3d at
742. 6 To satisfy that factor, “a plaintiff need not ‘show that she was a perfect or model
employee.’” See Sempowich v. Tactile Sys. Tech., Inc., 19 F.4th 643, 650 (4th Cir. 2021)
(quoting Haynes v. Waste Connections, Inc., 922 F.3d 219, 225 (4th Cir. 2019)). Rather,
“a plaintiff must show that she was qualified for the job and that she was meeting her
employer’s legitimate expectations.” Id. (quoting Haynes, 922 F.3d at 225).
On appeal, Palmer maintains that she was meeting Liberty’s legitimate expectations
at the time of her 2018 nonrenewal. For support, Palmer emphasizes her October 2016
promotion to Full Professor, arguing that the 2016 promotion demonstrates her adequate
performance at the time of her 2018 nonrenewal. Additionally, Palmer maintains that, in
6 In the district court, Liberty argued that Palmer could not prove the fourth element of a prima facie case — i.e., that her “position remained open or was filled by a similarly qualified applicant outside the protected class.” See Baqir, 434 F.3d at 742. Although the court ruled that Palmer satisfied the fourth element, Liberty does not challenge on appeal that aspect of the ADEA Ruling.
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light of her 2016 promotion, she had no reason to believe that she was otherwise failing to
meet Liberty’s technology-related expectations. Meanwhile, Liberty takes the position
that, although Palmer had been promoted to Full Professor in October 2016, she still did
not satisfy Liberty’s legitimate expectations at the time of her 2018 nonrenewal because of
her failure to develop technology or digital art skills. According to Liberty, the record
indisputably reflects that two of the Liberty administrators — Dean Hayes and Department
Chair Smith — repeatedly informed Palmer that she needed to improve her technology and
digital art skills, but Palmer inexplicably failed to develop those skills.
Put simply, we agree with the Statutory Ruling that Palmer was not meeting
Liberty’s legitimate expectations at the time of her 2018 nonrenewal. As the district court
aptly recognized, “Liberty has put forward substantial evidence documenting repeated
attempts to prompt Palmer to develop a digital art skillset,” but Palmer “never developed
that skillset.” See Statutory Ruling 14. Indeed, the Portfolio evaluations — along with
Palmer’s own self-imposed “goals for improvement” — reflect as much. See J.A. 1134.
Those notations tellingly reveal that the Liberty administrators repeatedly urged Palmer to
develop a digital art skillset, and that Palmer was aware of that necessity. Yet Palmer failed
to develop the requested skillset, either before or after her October 2016 promotion.
That conclusion notwithstanding, Palmer staunchly insists that her October 2016
promotion to Full Professor — standing alone — creates a genuine dispute of fact that
precludes the Statutory Ruling’s award of summary judgment to Liberty. Palmer suggests
that her promotion “wiped the slate clean,” and that any pre-promotion performance
evaluations are irrelevant to the analysis of her case. But Palmer’s “clean slate” contention
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suffers from at least two crucial infirmities. First, that contention is temporally flawed.
That is, Palmer has failed to explain why her performance in October 2016 means that she
was performing adequately at the time of her nonrenewal — which was in April 2018.
Second, Palmer’s “clean slate” contention overlooks the undisputed fact that, after
her October 2016 promotion to Full Professor, Dean Hayes and Department Chair Smith
had ongoing concerns about her lackluster technology and digital art skills. For example,
in the 2016-17 Portfolio evaluation, the Dean pointed out that there were recurring issues
with Palmer’s “teaching style.” See J.A. 946. And in the 2017-18 Portfolio evaluation,
although Palmer claimed she was “learn[ing] and utliz[ing] new technologies,” the Dean
directly rebuffed that comment, stating that “significant criticisms [exist] pertaining to
[Palmer’s] communication and teaching style effectiveness.” Id. at 946, 949.
Resisting our conclusion that she was not meeting Liberty’s legitimate expectations
at the time of her nonrenewal, Palmer points to our 2021 decision in Sempowich v. Tactile
Systems Technology. In Sempowich, we concluded that a plaintiff-employee — who had
been repeatedly rated by her employer as a high-performing employee — was satisfying
the employer’s legitimate expectations at the time of an adverse employment action. More
specifically, we recognized in Sempowich that, “[i]f an employer genuinely believed that
one of its employees was performing poorly on metrics the employer perceives as critical
. . . it seems likely that it would at the very least not rate the employee’s performance highly
or give her awards, a salary raise, or an equity grant.” See 19 F.4th at 650. And we
explained that those positive evaluations and accolades — which were bestowed upon the
Sempowich plaintiff mere “weeks before” the adverse employment action — “raised [a]
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reasonable inference . . . that [the employee] was performing at a satisfactory level.” Id. at
650-51 (internal quotation marks omitted). By contrast, Palmer was simply not meeting
Liberty’s technology-related expectations up and until the time of her 2018 nonrenewal.
Unlike in Sempowich, the lone accolade that Palmer can point to — her October 2016
promotion — was bestowed upon her more than a year before her nonrenewal. Thus,
Palmer’s reliance on Sempowich is misplaced.
Simply put, we agree with the Statutory Ruling and Liberty that Palmer has failed
to make a prima facie case of age discrimination, in that Palmer cannot show that she was
meeting Liberty’s legitimate expectations at the time of her 2018 nonrenewal. And because
Palmer is unable to proceed beyond the first step of the McDonnell Douglas framework,
her ADEA claim also cannot be premised on a circumstantial evidence theory.
Finally, Palmer’s ADEA claim suffers from yet another infirmity: if Palmer had
produced direct or circumstantial evidence of age discrimination, she would nevertheless
need to show that age was the but-for cause of her nonrenewal. As discussed above, the
Supreme Court recognized in its 2009 Gross decision that “the ADEA’s text does not
provide that a plaintiff may establish discrimination by showing that age was simply a
motivating factor.” See 557 U.S. at 173. Rather, “the plaintiff retains the burden of
persuasion to establish that age was the ‘but-for’ cause of the employer’s adverse action.”
Id. at 177. Pursuant to Gross, the “employee must prove that the employer would not have
fired her in the absence of age discrimination,” not prove that “age was one of multiple
motives” for the adverse employment decision. See Westmoreland, 924 F.3d at 725. 24 USCA4 Appeal: 21-2390 Doc: 76 Filed: 06/30/2023 Pg: 25 of 57
Stated succinctly, Palmer has failed to demonstrate that age was the but-for cause
of her 2018 nonrenewal. Palmer was not meeting Liberty’s legitimate expectations at the
time of her nonrenewal, in that she repeatedly failed to develop a digital art skillset. And
Palmer has failed to contend with the fact that the comments she characterizes as evidence
of age discrimination — the retirement comments plus the resistant-to-change comment —
were made subsequent to the Chair and the Dean having resolved not to renew her teaching
contract for the 2018-19 school year. Thus, it cannot be said that Liberty “would not have
fired [Palmer] in the absence of age discrimination.” See Westmoreland, 924 F.3d at 725.
* * *
In sum, because Palmer has failed to produce either direct or circumstantial evidence
of age-based discrimination, Liberty is entitled to summary judgment on her ADEA claim.
As such, we are constrained to affirm the Statutory Ruling. 7
We turn next to Liberty’s cross-appeal — that is, Appeal No. 21-2434 — relating
to the Constitutional Ruling. Although Liberty concedes that we could resolve this
7 Despite concluding that Palmer cannot make a prima facie case, the district court proceeded to analyze the second and third steps of the McDonnell Douglas framework — whether Liberty had articulated a legitimate nondiscriminatory reason for the nonrenewal decision and, if it had articulated such reasons, whether Palmer could show that Liberty’s proffered reason was pretextual. Although we appreciate the able judge’s thorough reasoning, Palmer simply cannot make a prima facie case of age discrimination, in that she failed to meet Liberty’s legitimate expectations at the time of her 2018 nonrenewal. Accordingly, we refrain from analyzing the second and third steps of the McDonnell Douglas framework. See King, 328 F.3d at 150.
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litigation in its favor simply by affirming the Statutory Ruling, it prefers that we also decide
whether Palmer was a minister under the First Amendment’s ministerial exception.
Pursuant to the constitutional avoidance doctrine, however, we decline Liberty’s invitation
to render an advisory opinion on that issue.
As the Supreme Court has recognized, “[i]t is a well[-]established principle
governing the prudent exercise of . . . jurisdiction that normally [a federal court] will not
decide a constitutional question if there is some other ground upon which to dispose of the
case.” See Escambia Cnty. v. McMillan, 466 U.S. 48, 51 (1984) (citing Ashwander v. Tenn.
Valley Auth., 297 U.S. 288, 347 (1936) (Brandeis, J., concurring)). To that end, Justice
Brandeis emphasized in his landmark Ashwander concurrence that “if a case can be decided
on either of two grounds, one involving a constitutional question, the other a question of
. . . general law, the Court will decide only the latter.” See 297 U.S. at 347 (Brandeis, J.,
concurring). Almost a century later, that “cardinal principle of judicial restraint” stands
for a wholly uncontroversial proposition. See PDK Lab’ys Inc. v. U.S. Drug Enf’t Admin.,
362 F.3d 786, 799 (D.C. Cir. 2004) (Roberts, J., concurring). And as our distinguished
Chief Justice — then serving on a court of appeals — explicitly recognized, “if it is not
necessary to decide more, it is necessary not to decide more.” Id.; see also Casa de
Maryland v. U.S. Dep’t of Homeland Sec., 924 F.3d 684, 706 (4th Cir. 2019) (applying
constitutional avoidance doctrine and declining to decide constitutional question).
In these circumstances, we need not deviate from the strictures of the constitutional
avoidance doctrine and decide whether Palmer was a minister for purposes of the
ministerial exception. Foremost, the ministerial exception is an affirmative defense to
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liability — not a jurisdictional bar — and there is no controlling authority to otherwise
suggest that such an issue should be resolved in the first instance. To that end, two of our
sister circuits — in similar circumstances — have invoked the constitutional avoidance
doctrine and declined to decide a ministerial exception issue. See Headley v. Church of
Scientology Intern., 687 F.3d 1173, 1181 (9th Cir. 2012) (invoking constitutional
avoidance doctrine and declining to resolve ministerial exception issue); Penn v. New York
Methodist Hosp., 884 F.3d 416, 427 n.5 (2d Cir. 2018) (same). Our exercise of judicial
restraint in this situation is entirely consistent with the Supreme Court’s own preference:
“[t]here will be time enough to address the applicability of the [ministerial] exception to
other circumstances if and when they arise.” See Hosanna-Tabor, 565 U.S. at 196. 8
Although we are satisfied to adhere to the constitutional avoidance doctrine in this
situation, we will briefly explain our decision to dismiss Liberty’s cross-appeal of the
8 We pause to mention an important point: adherence to the constitutional avoidance doctrine is not an indication — in any way — of agreement with Judge Richardson’s unnecessary assessment of the ministerial exception issue. See post at 42-56. And that assessment is not authoritative in any manner. Rather, in keeping with Ashwander and its progeny, we are obliged to resolve this cross-appeal solely on the statutory ground that does not implicate the constitutional question. More specifically, we rule herein that Liberty is entitled to summary judgment on the merits of Palmer’s ADEA claim, and we do not reach or resolve the constitutional issue of whether that claim is barred by the ministerial exception. To reiterate, as Justice Brandeis well explained — and as a legion of subsequent decisions has consistently confirmed — “if a case can be decided on either of two grounds, one involving a constitutional question, the other a question of . . . general law, the Court will decide only the latter.” See Ashwander, 297 U.S. at 347 (Brandeis, J., concurring); see, e.g., Escambia Cnty., 466 U.S. at 51; Casa de Maryland, 924 F.3d at 706. In these circumstances, a court of appeals — much less a lone appellate judge — does not possess a roving writ to gratuitously decide an interesting constitutional issue.
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Constitutional Ruling. As we recognized in our Norfolk Southern precedent of 2010, “[w]e
are always obliged to assure ourselves that a live dispute exists between the parties at all
stages of litigation.” See Norfolk S. Ry. Co. v. City of Alexandria, 608 F.3d 150, 161 (4th
Cir. 2010). To that end, “[a] dispute is moot when the parties lack a legally cognizable
interest in the outcome.” Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). And “the parties lack such
an interest when . . . our resolution of an issue could not possibly have any practical effect
on the outcome of the matter.” Id. As we observed in Norfolk Southern, “[t]he customary
practice when a case is rendered moot on appeal is to vacate the moot aspects of the lower
court’s judgment,” if the mootness “occurred through happenstance, rather than through
the voluntary action of the losing party.” Id. at 161-62 (internal quotation marks omitted).
In these circumstances, a decision on the merits of the Constitutional Ruling “could
not possibly have any practical effect on the outcome of the matter.” See Norfolk S., 608
F.3d at 161. That is, the resolution of a ministerial exception constitutional issue in this
case would necessarily “result in an advisory opinion being rendered” on a moot issue. Id.
at 162. And although a party “may desire that we render an opinion to satisfy [a] demand
for vindication or curiosity about who’s in the right and who’s in the wrong, we may only
decide cases that matter in the real world.” Id. at 161 (internal quotation marks omitted).
Finally, we recognize that Liberty’s cross-appeal has been rendered moot “not by
virtue of any voluntary action of either party, but instead by the vagaries of circumstance.”
See Norfolk S., 608 F.3d at 162. As such, in addition to dismissing Liberty’s cross-appeal,
our Norfolk Southern precedent compels that we vacate the unreviewed Constitutional
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Ruling. See Goldman v. Brink, 41 F.4th 366, 369 (4th Cir. 2022) (applying Norfolk
Southern precedent, dismissing appeal, and vacating “unreviewed” constitutional ruling).
IV.
Pursuant to the foregoing, we affirm the Statutory Ruling, dismiss Liberty’s cross-
appeal, and vacate the Constitutional Ruling.
Appeal No. 21-2390 — AFFIRMED
Appeal No. 21-2434 — DISMISSED AND VACATED
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DIANA GRIBBON MOTZ, Senior Circuit Judge, concurring:
I concur fully in Judge King’s excellent opinion for the court, which thoroughly
explains why the district court properly granted summary judgment to Liberty University
on Eva Palmer’s age discrimination claim. I write separately only in response to the
discussion of the ministerial exception in Judge Richardson’s concurrence, with which I
respectfully disagree. In my view, this is not a case where the ministerial exception would
apply, and I want to avoid any suggestion that this court would hold to the contrary.
First, a brief review of the pertinent facts. Throughout Palmer’s more than three
decades of employment by Liberty and Liberty-affiliated entities, she had always served
as an art teacher. Palmer’s educational background is in the arts: she has a bachelor’s
degree in education, with a concentration in art, as well as two master’s degrees in the fine
arts. Before her nonrenewal, Palmer worked in Liberty’s Studio & Digital Arts
Department, which was housed within the School of Visual & Performing Arts. In this
role, Palmer taught traditional “studio arts” courses like painting, pottery, and ceramics.
As her recent course syllabi confirm, she instructed her students on skills such as
“stretch[ing] and prim[ing] a canvas,” “[a]pplying color theory in mixing paint,” and
“[d]evelop[ing] a design portfolio.”
Palmer never taught any courses on theology or religion. Nor did she have any
experience as a minister. What is more, the position description for Studio & Digital Arts
faculty members is completely secular. For example, recent art faculty position
descriptions solicit applicants with a master’s degree in the fine arts and expertise in
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“graphic design, animation, motion graphics, UI/UX design, responsive web design, and
game design with some experience in studio art.” The position description’s “job
summary” and list of qualifications do not mention religion. Thus, as the district court
noted, “nothing in Palmer’s job description referred to ministerial duties.” Palmer v.
Liberty Univ., Inc., No. 20-31, 2021 WL 6201273, at *5 (W.D. Va. Dec. 1, 2021). In short,
Palmer’s most recent job title, “Professor of Art,” accurately and succinctly captures the
role she performed for Liberty.
Liberty, of course, is a private, Christian university. In its faculty handbook, Liberty
charges its faculty with “impart[ing] to students a liberal arts education which provides for
academic, spiritual, personal, and professional development.” The handbook states further
that Liberty faculty must “be a model of biblical lifestyle, character, and relationship in
every aspect of [their] lives.” Additionally, one of the nine specified criteria on which
Liberty faculty are evaluated is “Integration of Biblical Worldview.” But as Liberty readily
admits, “[f]aculty are not expressly required to engage in specific religious conduct in the
classroom.” Liberty Opening-Response Br. at 8.
Palmer considers herself “a follower of Jesus Christ.” Palmer often began her class
sessions by “reading one or two verses from the Book of Psalms or Proverbs,” albeit
“without [further] comment or discussion.” She would also “ask for prayer requests” and
pray with her students. Palmer did not, however, deliver sermons or lead her students in
Bible study. Indeed, as Palmer testified during a deposition, “there’s no time in the
classroom for teaching the subject of art to teach Bible.” Thus, as the district court
concluded, the record provides “scant evidence of [Palmer] actually integrating theological
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lessons into her classes.” Palmer, 2021 WL 6201273, at *7. Outside of the classroom,
Palmer took advantage of Liberty’s many faith offerings. 1 She frequently attended worship
services and convocations. But Palmer did not take her students to services and
convocations or sit with her students if they also happened to be in attendance.
To summarize, it is undisputed that Palmer herself is deeply religious and, because
she worked at a religious university, availed herself of the opportunity to pray with her
students and talk openly about her faith in the classroom. But it is also undisputed that
Palmer was an art professor, that Palmer never taught religion classes, that Liberty did not
require Palmer to engage in any specific religious conduct in her capacity as an art
professor, that Palmer never considered herself a minister, and that Liberty never held
Palmer out as a minister.
Liberty and Judge Richardson contend that these facts suffice to trigger the
ministerial exception and defeat Palmer’s age discrimination suit. Recent guidance from
the Supreme Court does not support such an expansive view of the ministerial exception.
1 Judge Richardson points out that Palmer “enrolled in the university’s ‘Doctor of Ministry’ program, earning more than 30 credit hours towards her degree.” Conc. Op. at 51 n.4. This simply evidences Palmer’s keen interest in the subject. The record offers no indication that Liberty so much as encouraged (let alone required) her to enroll in this program. Palmer explained that she enrolled in the program not because she wanted to become a minister, but because she wanted to study the Bible in depth.
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Federal courts of appeals have long recognized a ministerial exception to certain
antidiscrimination lawsuits between an employee and employer. See, e.g., EEOC v.
Catholic Univ. of Am., 83 F.3d 455 (D.C. Cir. 1996); Scharon v. St. Luke’s Episcopal
Presbyterian Hospitals, 929 F.2d 360 (8th Cir. 1991); Natal v. Christian and Missionary
Alliance, 878 F.2d 1575 (1st Cir. 1989). But the Supreme Court did not explicitly endorse
this exception until 2012 in Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & School v.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 565 U.S. 171 (2012). The Court further
defined the contours of the ministerial exception in the successor case of Our Lady of
Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, 140 S. Ct. 2049 (2020).
Hosanna-Tabor and Our Lady of Guadalupe clarify that the ministerial exception
can apply even when an employee, in addition to performing religious functions, has
substantial secular responsibilities. At the same time, those cases make clear that the
ministerial exception does not apply to everyone employed by a religious entity. See Our
Lady of Guadalupe, 140 S. Ct. at 2060 (“Under [the ministerial exception], courts are
bound to stay out of employment disputes involving those holding important positions with
churches and other religious institutions.”). After all, the ministerial exception’s purpose
is to ensure that religious institutions retain ultimate authority over their relationship with
“certain key employees,” not to entirely insulate religious entities from generally
applicable antidiscrimination laws. See id. at 2055, 2060.
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Those cases thus counsel that the ministerial exception is just that — an exception,
applicable only to a subset of a religious entity’s employees. They do not provide a basis
to enlarge the ministerial exception to cover this easily distinguishable case.
Judge Richardson essentially concedes that Palmer did not teach religion classes.
See Conc. Op. at 53 (noting that “Palmer did not provide formal religious instruction.”).
And he expressly concedes that she did not lead a religious organization, conduct worship
services, or preside over important religious ceremonies and rituals. See id. at 50 n.3.
Nonetheless, he concludes that Palmer served as “an official ‘messenger’ of [Liberty’s]
faith” and therefore is a “‘minister’ for First Amendment purposes.” Id. at 42, 50. 2 But
this conclusion blinks at the facts presented given the posture of this case, which comes to
us as an appeal from the grant of summary judgment to Liberty. Accordingly, we must
view the facts in the light most favorable to Palmer and draw all reasonable inferences in
her favor. Given this standard, the facts undeniably paint a picture of Palmer’s role very
different from that of the teachers in Hosanna-Tabor and Our Lady of Guadalupe, and
therefore I cannot agree that the ministerial exception would apply here.
2 Judge Richardson insists that Palmer is a minister because Liberty “expected Palmer to conform her classes to its religious message, and to help it spread that message.” Conc. Op. at 50. For support, he cites Liberty’s mission statement as reproduced in its faculty handbook and website, and notes that faculty were evaluated on, among other criteria, whether they integrate a Biblical worldview into their “teaching/administrative responsibilities.” Id. at 51. To be sure, these sources establish that Liberty is a religious institution, but they do not establish that Palmer’s day-to-day job rendered her a “key employee” who would qualify as a minister.
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When determining whether an employee of a religious entity qualifies for the
ministerial exception, we must examine all the “circumstances of her employment,”
training our focus on “what [the] employee does.” Hosanna-Tabor, 565 U.S. at 190; Our
Lady of Guadalupe, 140 S. Ct. at 2064.
As an art professor, Palmer taught “3D Art,” “Painting I,” “Drawing I,”
“Introduction to Design,” and related courses. Her course syllabi confirm that she taught
the same sort of secular art lessons that one would expect to receive at a public, non-
religious university. Likewise, she graded her students on the quality of original artwork
they produced, as well as certain written assignments about art. Palmer did begin her
classes with a short prayer and openly discussed her belief in the existence of God, but
unlike the teachers in Hosanna-Tabor and Our Lady of Guadalupe, Palmer did not teach
religion classes.
Judge Richardson minimizes the undisputed fact that Palmer never taught religion,
contending that this “single difference” should not matter in the end. See Conc. Op. at 53.
But it is noteworthy that Cheryl Perich, Agnes Morrissey-Berru, and Kristen Biel — the
teachers in Hosanna-Tabor and Our Lady of Guadalupe — were all considered
“catechists,” i.e., teachers of religion. 565 U.S. at 178; 140 S. Ct. at 2057, 2066–67. Thus,
while the Supreme Court has declined to “adopt a rigid formula for deciding when an
employee qualifies as a minister,” it has only applied the ministerial exception to cases
involving “teachers at religious schools who [were] entrusted with the responsibility of
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instructing their students in the faith.” Our Lady of Guadalupe, 140 S. Ct. at 2055, 2062
(quoting Hosanna-Tabor, 565 U.S. at 190); see also Hosanna-Tabor, 565 U.S. at 192
(emphasizing that Perich, who “taught her students religion four days a week,” served “[a]s
a source of religious instruction” and “performed an important role in transmitting the
Lutheran faith to the next generation”).
Indeed, the Our Lady of Guadalupe majority highlighted that Morrisey-Berru and
Biel “were Catholic elementary school teachers, which meant that they were their students’
primary teachers of religion.” 140 S. Ct. at 2067. The Court explained that “[t]he concept
of a teacher of religion is loaded with religious significance,” noting that in scripture “Jesus
was frequently called rabbi,” which means teacher. Id. Thus, the Supreme Court has made
clear that one important factor in determining the ministerial exception’s applicability is
whether an employee provides religious instruction — and it is not one that should be
lightly disregarded. Accordingly, even if not dispositive, it is highly relevant that Palmer
did not teach religion. See id. at 2057, 2067 (emphasizing that Morrissey-Berru and Biel
were “responsible for the faith formation of the students in their charge”).
Moreover, contrary to my concurring friend’s suggestion, the fact that Palmer did
not teach religion is not “the only major difference” between this case and Our Lady of
Guadalupe. See Conc. Op. at 53. The two teachers in Our Lady of Guadalupe prepared
their students to participate in Mass, communion, and confession; both teachers were
evaluated on whether they had religious signs and displays in their classrooms; and both
attended religious services with their students. 140 S. Ct. at 2057, 2059, 2066. And, in
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addition to regarding both teachers as catechists, the schools in Our Lady of Guadalupe
also made clear that they viewed those teachers as key employees for purposes of the
schools’ religious mission.
One of those teachers, Morrissey-Berru, “took religious education courses at the
school’s request . . . and was expected to attend faculty prayer services.” Id. at 2056. The
other, Biel, taught at a school that required that she pray with her students on a daily basis.
Id. at 2059. Both Morrissey-Berru and Biel were subject to the direct oversight of religious
leaders within the Roman Catholic Church. In Morrissey-Berru’s case, her employment
was conditioned on the annual approval of “[t]he pastor of the parish, a Catholic priest.”
Id. at 2057. Biel’s school principal was a Catholic nun. Id. at 2059.
Unlike the elementary school teachers in Our Lady of Guadalupe, Palmer did not
instruct her students on the significance of various religious sacraments. She was not
required to install religious displays in her classroom, and she was not expected to attend
religious education courses or accompany her students to religious services. Moreover,
Liberty did not require Palmer to report to religious leaders. Instead, she reported to the
Chair of the Studio & Digital Arts Department, who in turn reported to the Associate Dean
of the School of Visual & Performing Arts.
Furthermore, Palmer was not given instructions on how to implement a Christian
worldview into her teaching. Unlike her Our Lady of Guadalupe counterparts, Palmer
evidently was accorded significant discretion as to whether and to what extent she wished
to integrate faith into the classroom. In fact, the record indicates that the only religious
activities that Palmer engaged in were voluntary. Notably, Palmer did not incorporate a
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single theological lesson into her course syllabi, but this apparently proved no impediment
to Palmer’s promotion to “Full Professor,” the highest academic rank at Liberty. In sum,
it is a mistake to conflate Palmer’s personal devotion to her faith with whether she was the
type of key employee who performed a vital religious function for her employer. Not only
does this case not involve a teacher who was charged with teaching religion classes, it also
does not involve a teacher who was given any concrete responsibility for integrating faith
into her classroom activities.
Were that not telling enough, the record here includes ample evidence of how
Liberty advertised vacant art faculty jobs to would-be applicants. Those position
descriptions said nothing about religion; rather, they focused on the technical expertise that
art faculty needed in the studio and digital arts.
Thus, Palmer’s case does not, as my friend Judge Richardson suggests, “look[]
extremely similar” to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Conc. Op. at 52. The differences are
abundant. The ministerial exception, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, simply does not
apply to Palmer. 3
3 Judge Richardson would go still further than the Supreme Court has. He would not limit his proposed holding to Palmer, the faculty member involved in this case. Instead, sidestepping the Court’s repeated admonitions that the ministerial exception is a fact-based inquiry that must be based on the totality of the circumstances, he asserts that “every professor at Liberty” is a minister. See Conc. Op. at 56. In so doing, Judge Richardson tacitly embraces the idea “that the Religion Clauses require civil courts to defer to religious organizations’ good-faith claims that a certain employee’s position is ‘ministerial.’” See Our Lady of Guadalupe, 140 S. Ct. at 2069–70 (Thomas, J., concurring); see also Hosanna- Tabor, 565 U.S. at 196 (Thomas, J., concurring). This is not a position the Court has accepted.
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Make no mistake: the conception of the ministerial exception advanced by my
concurring colleague is no mere application of existing precedent. It is a dramatic
broadening of the ministerial exception that would swallow the rule. Cf. DeWeese-Boyd v.
Gordon Coll., 163 N.E.3d 1000, 1017 (Mass. 2021), cert. denied, 142 S. Ct. 952 (2022)
(declining to apply the ministerial exception to an associate professor of social work, and
explaining that doing so would mark a “significant expansion of the ministerial exception
doctrine”). It is also one that if adopted would carry profound practical consequences.
The ministerial exception effectively “gives an employer free rein to discriminate
because of race, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, or other traits protected by law when
selecting or firing their ‘ministers,’ even when the discrimination is wholly unrelated to the
employer’s religious beliefs or practices.” Our Lady of Guadalupe, 140 S. Ct. at 2072
(Sotomayor, J., dissenting). 4 It is no exaggeration to say that the ministerial exception
“condones animus.” Id. Thus, the necessary implication of greatly expanding the
4 Let us not forget that Palmer’s case is fundamentally one about alleged age-based employment discrimination. There is no suggestion anywhere in the record or briefs that Liberty terminated Palmer’s employment for any religious reason. The same is true of Hosanna-Tabor and Our Lady of Guadalupe. Hosanna-Tabor involved an employee who was allegedly fired in retaliation for threatening to file an Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuit, 565 U.S. at 179, and in Our Lady of Guadalupe, “[t]wo employers fired their employees allegedly because one had breast cancer and the other was elderly,” 140 S. Ct. at 2071 (Sotomayor, J., dissenting).
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ministerial exception is that far fewer employees would be protected from employment
discrimination.
When it comes to key religious figures, this is a necessary tradeoff. The First
Amendment’s Religion Clauses require that religious organizations retain the “power to
decide for themselves, free from state interference, matters of church government as well
as those of faith and doctrine.” Kedroff v. St. Nicholas Cathedral, 344 U.S. 94, 116 (1952).
“Without that power, a wayward minister’s preaching, teaching, and counseling could
contradict the church’s tenets and lead the congregation away from the faith.” Our Lady
of Guadalupe, 140 S. Ct. at 2060.
But Palmer was not a key religious figure or a minister. She was an art professor.
Indeed, if basic acts like praying with one’s students and referencing God in the classroom
are enough to transform an art professor into the type of key faith messenger who qualifies
for the ministerial exception, one can only speculate as to who else might qualify for the
exception. See DeWeese-Boyd, 163 N.E.3d at 1017 (observing that if integrating faith “into
daily life and work” at a religious college were all that was required for the exception to
apply, all of the school’s employees, “whether they be coaches, food service workers, or
transportation providers,” would be ministers).
An employee does not shed her right to be free from workplace discrimination
simply because she believes in God, prays at work, and is employed by a religious entity.
Absent clear guidance from the Supreme Court, I cannot agree with a view of the
ministerial exception so capacious that it entirely erodes vital antidiscrimination
protections for scores of workers throughout the United States.
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That said, Judge King has more than capably explained why the constitutional
avoidance doctrine cautions against reaching the ministerial exception issue in this case.
Because it was unnecessary for the district court to confront this issue, I fully agree with
the decision to vacate that decision and dismiss Liberty’s appeal from it. I also fully agree
with the decision to affirm the district court’s judgment in Liberty’s favor as to the
substantive age discrimination claim. But, as explained above, even if I were to accept
Judge Richardson’s prudential argument in favor of deciding the ministerial exception
issue first, I would conclude that the exception does not apply here given the facts of this
case.
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RICHARDSON, Circuit Judge, concurring in the judgment:
While I am inclined to agree with my friends in the majority that Palmer’s age-
discrimination case fails on its merits, that issue strikes me as less straightforward than they
suggest. But I would not even wade into the merits here, since we must grant summary
judgment to Liberty for a separate reason: The First Amendment’s “ministerial exception”
bars employment claims made by ministers against a religious institution. I would rest on
that latter ground.
True, as a general rule, we should not decide constitutional questions when we could
instead resolve a case on statutory grounds. But this rule of “constitutional avoidance” is
entirely prudential; like most general rules, it has exceptions. This case warrants such an
exception. The Supreme Court has admonished against the “very process of inquiry” into
a religious institution’s faith or governance. NLRB v. Cath. Bishop of Chi., 440 U.S. 490,
502 (1979). Yet adjudicating the merits of Palmer’s claim would force us to make that
inquiry. Before biting into that apple, we should determine whether the First Amendment
protects Liberty in this case.
It plainly does. The First Amendment’s “ministerial exception” bars Palmer’s suit.
Though Palmer did not perform formal religious instruction, her job description required
her to integrate a “Biblical worldview” into her teaching. And Palmer admits to regularly
praying with students, indeed starting her classes with a psalm or a prayer. Accordingly,
Liberty viewed her as an official “messenger” of its faith. Under the Supreme Court’s
recent precedent, Palmer thus qualified as a “minister.” That entitles Liberty to absolute
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immunity over its decision to fire her. So I would grant Liberty summary judgment on
those grounds.
I. Constitutional Avoidance Ought Not Bind Us Here
Like the majority, I endorse Justice Brandeis’s “constitutional avoidance” principle:
We generally should not “pass upon a constitutional rule although properly presented by
the record, if there is also present some other ground upon which the case may be disposed
of.” Ashwander v. Tenn. Valley Auth., 297 U.S. 288, 347 (1936) (Brandeis, J., concurring).
But the Supreme Court has been clear that this “rule” is prudential. See, e.g., Zobrest v.
Catalina Foothills Sch. Dist., 509 U.S. 1, 7 (1993) (referring to the “prudential rule of
avoiding constitutional questions” (emphasis added)). In other words, constitutional
avoidance is more like a guideline than a rule; we need not yield to it when there are
“important reasons” for doing otherwise. Siler v. Louisville & Nashville R.R. Co., 213 U.S.
175, 193 (1909); see also Ashwander, 297 U.S. at 347 (Brandeis, J., concurring) (citing
Siler).
One reason that might justify addressing a constitutional issue over a statutory one
could be federalism—for instance, deference to a state’s authority to interpret its own
statute. See Farm Lab. Org. Comm. v. Stein, 56 F.4th 339, 355 (4th Cir. 2022) (Richardson,
J., concurring in the judgment). And, here too, there are “important reasons” for addressing
the lurking constitutional issue of whether the First Amendment’s ministerial exception
bars Palmer’s claims. Swerving around that issue veers us too close to the very interests
that the First Amendment protects, and risks entangling us in inherently religious questions.
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To understand why, we need to explore the ministerial exception in more detail.
Although not specifically recognized by the Supreme Court until its recent decisions in
Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & School v. EEOC, 565 U.S. 171 (2012),
and Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, 140 S. Ct. 2049 (2020), the
exception has deep roots. It grows out of the broader “church-autonomy doctrine,” which
protects religious institutions’ “power to decide for themselves, free from state
interference, matters of church government as well as those of faith and doctrine.” Kedroff
v. St. Nicholas Cathedral, 344 U.S. 94, 116 (1952); see also Our Lady of Guadalupe, 140
S. Ct. at 2061 (describing Hosanna-Tabor and the ministerial exception as rooted in “the
general principle of church autonomy”). The ministerial exception is a specific facet of the
church-autonomy doctrine that guards a religious institution’s authority to select certain
personnel. It prevents “the government from interfering with the decision of a religious
group to fire one of its ministers.” Hosanna-Tabor, 565 U.S. at 181.
Despite its name, the ministerial exception applies to more employees than those
few who are literally called “ministers.” After all, many faith traditions do not use that
title. See Our Lady of Guadalupe, 140 S. Ct. at 2063–64. Instead, a “minister” under the
exception is any employee with “vital religious duties.” Id. at 2066. That includes “any
‘employee’ who”: (1) “leads a religious organization,” (2) “conducts worship services,”
or (3) “serves as a messenger or teacher of its faith.” Id. at 2064 (quoting Hosanna-Tabor,
565 U.S. at 199 (Alito, J., concurring)) (emphasis removed). Because these employees are
either involved with “the internal governance of the church,” or else serve as messengers
who “personify its beliefs,” the First Amendment’s two Religion Clauses—both the
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Establishment Clause, Clause 1 of the First Amendment, and the Free Exercise Clause,
Clause 2 of the First Amendment—work together to prohibit the government from
“[r]equiring a church to accept or retain an unwanted minister, or punishing a church for
failing to do so.” 1 Hosanna-Tabor, 565 U.S. at 188.
Once a court decides that the ministerial exception applies, its inquiry ends. The
employer need not show that it had a “religious reason” for firing the minister. Hosanna-
Tabor, 565 U.S. at 194. Instead, the employer may fire the minister for any reason—
including one that, on its face, has no connection to religion and would otherwise be illegal.
See Our Lady of Guadalupe, 140 S. Ct. at 2072 (Sotomayor, J., dissenting).
We do not demand a “religious reason” from the employer for firing their minister
because their decision generally boils down to the same basic question: “Do we,” the
religious organization, “want this person to make doctrinal or organizational decisions for
us, or to speak for us on religious matters?” When the answer is “no,” whatever reason the
organization gives doesn’t matter. If a court imposes a minister on a congregation that
doesn’t want her—even if the court does so based on employment-law principles—it
nonetheless impinges on the church’s religious interest in choosing who speaks for it. See
1 How is the ministerial exception grounded in both Religion Clauses? On the one hand, the Establishment Clause prohibits the federal government (and, post-incorporation, the states) from creating a state religion, which in England and colonial America involved, among other things, “filling ecclesiastical offices.” Hosanna-Tabor, 565 U.S. at 184. On the other hand, the Free Exercise Clause “protects a religious group’s right to shape its own faith and mission through its appointments.” Id. at 188. Thus, although in many contexts these two clauses “exert conflicting pressures,” here both converge to create the ministerial exception. Id. at 181 (quoting Cutter v. Wilkinson, 544 U.S. 709, 719 (2005)).
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Douglas Laycock, Church Autonomy Revisited, 7 Geo. J.L. & Pub. Pol’y 253, 260–62
(2009); see also Demkovich v. St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, 3 F.4th 968, 980 (7th Cir.
2021) (en banc). In other words, simply saying “I don’t want her speaking for me on
religious matters” is itself, in a sense, expressing a religious motive for firing the minister.
So there is no need to delve into that question.
Some go even further. Not only is there no need to inquire into a church’s motives,
they say, but indeed that inquiry itself may offend First Amendment interests. See, e.g.,
Hosanna-Tabor, 565 U.S. at 205–06 (Alito, J., concurring) (noting that “the mere
adjudication of such questions would pose grave problems for religious autonomy”). The
Supreme Court, in NLRB v. Catholic Bishop of Chicago, 440 U.S. 490 (1979), cautioned
that the “very process of inquiry” into the “good faith” of a religious employer “may
impinge on rights guaranteed by the Religion Clauses,” by risking excessive
“entanglement” in religious affairs. See id. at 501–03; see also Our Lady of Guadalupe,
140 S. Ct. at 2060 (“[C]ourts are bound to stay out of employment disputes involving those
holding certain important positions with churches.” (emphasis added)). Our own Court
explained that the ministerial “exception shelters certain employment decisions from the
scrutiny of civil authorities.” EEOC v. Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh, 213 F.3d 795,
801 (4th Cir. 2000) (emphasis added). And other judges have understood the ministerial
exception—like qualified immunity, or the Fifth Amendment’s Double Jeopardy Clause—
to protect a religious institution not only from ultimate liability, but also from judicial
inquiry itself. See, e.g., Belya v. Kapral, 59 F.4th 570, 577–80 (2d Cir. 2023) (Park, J.,
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dissenting from denial of rehearing en banc); Tucker v. Faith Bible Chapel Int’l, 36 F.4th
1021, 1049–55 (10th Cir. 2022) (Bacharach, J., dissenting).
The extent to which Catholic Bishop’s “entanglement” concerns—as a
constitutional matter—survive the demise of Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602 (1971), is
an open question. See Cath. Bishop, 440 U.S. at 501 (citing Lemon as prohibiting
“excessive governmental entanglement”). After all, “Lemon and its ilk are not good law”
any longer. Firewalker-Fields v. Lee, 58 F.4th 104, 121 n.5 (4th Cir. 2023). Today, we
must evaluate Establishment Clause claims using “historical practice and understanding.”
Id. at 122. But I need not say that a court’s inquiry into a minister’s employment is
unconstitutional in order to say that it is—as a prudential matter—a bad idea for us to
become so entangled. 2
Deciding this case on statutory grounds would lead to exactly that kind of
entanglement. Skirting the ministerial exception by dismissing an employment-
2 That said, there is some historical support for the idea that the First Amendment prohibits the government from entangling itself in church leadership selection. Hosanna- Tabor itself noted that, when a Catholic bishop asked whom he should appoint to lead the Catholic Church in the newly acquired Louisiana Territory, then-Secretary of State James Madison declined to even weigh in. 565 U.S. at 184. In Madison’s view, even “rendering an opinion,” id., would violate the “scrupulous policy of the Constitution in guarding against a political interference with religious affairs.” Letter from James Madison to Bishop Carroll (Nov. 20, 1806), reprinted in 20 Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia 63–64 (1909)); but cf. Letter from James Madison to Bishop Carroll (Nov. 20, 1806), reprinted in 20 Records at 64–65 (offering, in a separate “Private” letter, a more detailed opinion on the Bishop’s selection). So, even applying the new history-and-tradition test, see Firewalker, 58 F.4th at 121–22, the ministerial exception may constitutionally bar judicial inquiry into a religious employer’s motives. But, because I decline—as a matter of prudence—to engage in that inquiry, I need not decide definitively whether such an inquiry would be unconstitutional.
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discrimination claim on its merits forces us to inquire into the church’s motives for firing
its minister. But, as discussed already, the church’s decision is intrinsically bound up in
religious doctrine. To subject such a decision to the scrutiny of temporal courts threatens
the church’s “power to decide for themselves, free from state interference, matters of . . .
faith.” Kedroff, 344 U.S. at 116. And the sort of “inquiry” that entangles us in matters of
faith encompasses more than just digging through a religious institution’s employment files
and deposing its leaders. In my view (and at the risk of sounding too metaphysical), the
mere act of questioning the institution’s motives—even if the court ultimately decides that
those motives are “pure”—cheapens its authority over ecclesiastical affairs.
Suppose that a Baptist church fires one of its elderly preachers, saying that his
sermons weren’t quite “fire-y” enough. For the previous three years, the church had
consistently warned him about the problem, reporting that congregants were dozing off
while he was at the pulpit. But the preacher nonetheless turns around and sues, claiming
age discrimination. We would rightly dismiss that suit as barred by the First Amendment;
we would not, for a moment, entertain wading into the merits of the preacher’s claim. And
we certainly would not deign to decide whether he was “meeting his employer’s legitimate
expectations” when he was let go, and thus whether he could make out a prima facie case
of discrimination. We would recognize that even asking that question goes too far.
But that is exactly what the majority does here. See Majority Op. at 21–24. And, if
you’re determined to reach the merits, asking such a question is almost inevitable.
Discrimination cases center on the employer’s motives, since a fundamental question in
each one is whether the employer engaged in intentional discrimination. See Reeves v.
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Sanderson Plumbing Prods., Inc., 530 U.S. 133, 153 (2000) (“The ultimate question in
every employment discrimination case involving a claim of disparate treatment is whether
the plaintiff was the victim of intentional discrimination.”). Indeed, the burden-shifting
framework of McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792 (1973), from which the
prima facie case derives, is just a way of dividing “intermediate evidentiary burdens” that
“serves to bring the litigants and the court expeditiously and fairly to this ultimate
question”: What motivated the employer’s decision? Tex. Dept. of Comm. Affairs v.
Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 253 (1981). And that “process of inquiry”—“not only the
conclusions”—is what risks entanglement, Cath. Bishop, 440 U.S. at 502, and is what we
ought to steer clear of.
In sum, deciding the merits of an age-discrimination case—whether we rule for the
employer or not—requires us to “inquire” into that employer’s motives. But, if the plaintiff
was the employer’s minister, then that is precisely what we should avoid. So—at least as
a matter of prudence—we should decide if that’s the case before going any further.
II. The Ministerial Exception Bars Palmer’s Suit
Thus, before peering into the merits of Palmer’s age-discrimination case, we should
resolve a threshold question: Does the First Amendment’s ministerial exception bar it?
The answer: It does. The key issue is whether Palmer had “vital religious duties,” Our
Lady of Guadalupe, 140 S. Ct. at 2066, specifically whether she “serve[d] as a messenger”
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of Liberty’s religious teachings, 3 id. at 2064 (quoting Hosanna-Tabor, 565 U.S. at 199
(Alito, J., concurring)). Although Palmer did not teach formal religion classes, she was
nonetheless expected—by both Liberty and its students—to imbue her classes with a
“Biblical worldview.” In other words, Liberty expected Palmer to conform her classes to
its religious message, and to help it spread that message. So she was Liberty’s
“messenger,” and thus its “minister” for First Amendment purposes. As such, Palmer’s
claims cannot proceed.
A. Palmer imbued her classes with a “Biblical worldview,” as Liberty required
To understand whether Palmer served as a “messenger” of Liberty’s faith, we must
first delve into their employment relationship.
Liberty University is an openly evangelical institution. Its mission is to “develop[ ]
Christ-centered men and women with the values, knowledge, and skills essential to impact
the world.” J.A. 374. As part of this mission, Liberty commits to “[p]romot[ing] the
synthesis of academic knowledge and Christian worldview.” J.A. 374. And Liberty
explicitly states its mission both in its faculty handbook and on its website. Also in its
handbook is Liberty’s statement on its worldview: “Liberty University embraces a
worldview that is both historically Christian and Biblical.” J.A. 64. The handbook
3 As discussed above, other such duties would include “lead[ing] a religious organization” and “conduct[ing] worship services or important religious ceremonies or rituals.” Our Lady of Guadalupe, 140 S. Ct. at 2064 (quoting Hosanna-Tabor, 565 U.S. at 199 (Alito, J., concurring)). But nothing in the record suggests that Palmer performed either of these functions for Liberty. So, if the ministerial exception applies, it is because Palmer served as Liberty’s “messenger.”
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continues: “At Liberty, students receive an education that integrates this Christian and
Biblical worldview.” J.A. 64.
Eva Palmer began working as an art professor at Liberty in 1986. She did not have
a theology or ministry degree. 4 And, she never taught formal classes on religion. So she
never considered herself to be a “minister,” and Liberty never gave her that official title.
Yet that doesn’t mean that Liberty had no religious expectations for Palmer. Indeed,
her employment contract explicitly incorporated the faculty handbook’s requirements.
And, alongside the provisions above, the handbook required faculty to “maintain the
integrity of our teaching by ensuring that its content is . . . compatible with the University’s
Christian worldview as reflected in the doctrinal statement.” J.A. 67. Every year, Liberty
enforced these expectations by evaluating its faculty—including Palmer—on their
“Integration of Biblical Worldview.” J.A. 1331; see also J.A. 32. That component of their
evaluation asked: “In what ways do you actively integrate Biblical worldview in your
teaching/administrative responsibilities?” J.A. 1332.
Palmer generally got good reviews in this stead. When asked whether she
“exhibited commitment to Christian principles,” her students—in their formal end-of-
semester evaluations—apparently gave Palmer “above-average scores.” J.A. 34. And one
faculty evaluator noted, after observing one of Palmer’s classes, that “[h]er speech is laced
with references to God and comparisons of His work in creation to our work as creative
4 While Palmer did not have a religious degree when joining the faculty, during her time at Liberty she enrolled in the university’s “Doctor of Ministry” program, earning more than 30 credit hours towards her degree.
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artists.” J.A. 115. He also noted that Palmer “opens class with opportunity for prayer.”
J.A. 115.
Palmer’s own characterization of her teaching matches up with these faculty and
student reviews. She denies formally teaching religious doctrine during instructional time.
But she admits that she “discussed God with her students and prayed with her students,”
J.A. 250, and acknowledges that she “typically began” class with a psalm or a prayer. J.A.
259. When asked how she “integrate[s] Biblical worldview” into her classes, she replied:
“I integrate principles and concepts from Scripture, make Scripture references, pray with
my classes and individuals, and set the example in my own standard of living.” J.A. 938.
B. Palmer served as a “messenger” of Liberty’s religious teachings
Viewing these facts in light of Our Lady of Guadalupe shows that Palmer was
Liberty’s “minister” for First Amendment purposes.
Our Lady of Guadalupe considered two Catholic elementary school teachers’
employment-discrimination claims. In holding that the ministerial exception barred those
claims, the Court found several facts to be particularly informative. First, the teachers at
issue were expected, as spelled out in their employment contracts and faculty handbooks,
to “‘model and promote’ Catholic ‘faith and morals’” and “infuse[ ]” those values “through
all subject areas.” Our Lady of Guadalupe, 140 S. Ct. at 2056–57. Second, they were
evaluated for compliance with these requirements. See id. Third, they “prayed with [their]
students.” Id. at 2057. And fourth, they “provided religious instruction.” Id.
Palmer’s case looks extremely similar. Much like the schools in Our Lady of
Guadalupe, Liberty’s mission was to “[p]romote the synthesis of academic knowledge and
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Christian worldview.” J.A. 374. And, like the teachers in Our Lady of Guadalupe, Palmer
was expected to serve this mission and promote Christian values, both by acting as a role
model for her students and by integrating a Biblical worldview into her art classes.
Likewise, Palmer was evaluated on whether she complied with this requirement. What’s
more, just as in Our Lady of Guadalupe, Palmer admits to regularly praying with the
students in class—indeed, starting class with a prayer or a psalm. So the only major
difference between the two cases is that Palmer did not provide formal religious instruction.
Should that single difference matter? No. Our Lady of Guadalupe emphasized that
there is no “rigid formula,” 140 S. Ct. at 2062 (quoting Hosanna-Tabor, 565 U.S. at 190)),
for deciding when the ministerial exception applies, and chastised the lower court for
“demanding nothing less than a ‘carbon copy’ of the specific facts in Hosanna-Tabor.” 140
S. Ct. at 2060 (quoting 926 F.3d 1238, 1239 (9th Cir. 2019) (Nelson, J., dissenting from
denial of rehearing en banc)). The lower court erred, said Our Lady of Guadalupe, by
treating “the circumstances that we found relevant in [Hosanna-Tabor] as checklist items
to be assessed and weighed against each other in every case.” 140 S. Ct. at 2067.
In other words, Hosanna-Tabor did not create an exclusive list of necessary
conditions. It did not require religious institutions to bat a thousand on the factors that it
identified. True, said the Court, the teachers in Our Lady of Guadalupe lacked certain
characteristics of those from Hosanna-Tabor. They, like Palmer, had neither a religious
title nor a religious degree, two factors that Hosanna-Tabor alluded to. See Our Lady of
Guadalupe, 140 S. Ct. at 2065; Hosanna-Tabor, 565 U.S. at 191–92. But, while those
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factors made Hosanna-Tabor “an especially easy” case, neither of them was “essential.”
Our Lady of Guadalupe, 140 S. Ct. at 2062, 2067 (cleaned up).
Just as it would be a mistake to treat Hosanna-Tabor as an exclusive “checklist”
and seek out a “carbon copy” of its facts, so too with Our Lady of Guadalupe. The overall
question that we must ask to determine whether Palmer was Liberty’s “minister” is whether
she “serve[d] as a messenger or teacher of its faith.” Id. at 2064 (quoting Hosanna-Tabor,
565 U.S. at 199 (Alito, J., concurring)) (emphasis removed). That the Catholic elementary
school teachers in Our Lady of Guadalupe engaged in formal religious instruction—by
literally teaching classes on religious doctrine and preparing students for Mass—made it
“especially easy” for the Court to tell that they were “messengers” of the schools’ faith.
But the Court did not rest on that reason alone.
To start, the formal religion classes at issue in Our Lady of Guadalupe were “short.”
140 S. Ct. at 2071 (Sotomayor, J., dissenting). One of the plaintiffs taught religion for only
200 minutes per week—that’s less than 45 minutes per day. See id. at 2059. The teachers
still “taught primarily secular subjects.” Id. at 2072 (Sotomayor, J., dissenting). But the
Court recognized that it was not just through formal “instruction about the Catholic faith”
that the teachers aided the school in providing a religious education. Id. at 2066. Instead,
the Court noted that—even in their ostensibly “secular” classes—the teachers were still
“expected to guide their students, by word and deed, toward the goal of living their lives
in accordance with the faith.” Id. After all, the teachers’ employment agreements and
faculty handbooks required them to “infuse[ ]” Catholic values “through all subject areas.”
Id. at 2056–57. So too here.
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Further, stepping back from the specific details of the teachers’ employment
agreements, the Court recognized that “[t]he religious education and formation of students
is the very reason for the existence of most private religious schools.” Id. at 2055. Thus,
“the selection and supervision of the teachers upon whom the schools rely to do this work
lie at the core of their mission.” Id. The same is true with Liberty. Students attend colleges
like Liberty not with the expectation that they will get all of their religious education in
formal classes on theology or in worship services. Instead, they expect that every class on
every subject will integrate a Biblical worldview, and that every teacher will be a model of
faith. See Gordon Coll. v. DeWeese-Boyd, 142 S. Ct. 952, 955 (2022) (Alito, J., statement
respecting denial of certiorari) (“[R]eligious education at Gordon College does not end as
soon as a student passes [formal religion] courses and leaves the chapel. Instead, the
college asks each member of the faculty to ‘integrate’ faith and learning.”). Religious faith
is not confined to a time and place.
Put plainly, by announcing that it requires its professors to integrate a Biblical
worldview into all of their classes, and to model their faith, Liberty is sending a religious
message to its students, their parents, and the rest of the public: “These classes—and our
faculty’s actions—comport with our institution’s reading of the Bible.” In every lesson
that they teach, Liberty’s professors impart that message to their students. True, Liberty
gives its professors “significant discretion” about how to do so: There are not specific
religious lessons that professors like Palmer must teach, or specific “religious displays”
that they must install in their classrooms. See Concurring Op. at 37. But it is nonetheless
critical—from Liberty’s perspective—that it has wide latitude to remove its professors for
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sending the wrong message. Otherwise, a “wayward [professor’s] preaching, teaching, and
counseling could contradict [Liberty’s] tenets and lead the [students] away from the faith.”
Our Lady of Guadalupe, 140 S. Ct. at 2060. Indeed, this is the entire reason that Liberty
has eschewed the tenure system—to ensure that it can make “internal management
decisions that are essential to the institution’s central mission.” Id.; see J.A. 166.
Because Palmer—like every professor at Liberty—served as the school’s religious
“messenger” to its students, she was its “minister” for First Amendment purposes. The
ministerial exception thus bars her employment-discrimination claim.
I commend my friends’ efforts to follow Justice Brandeis’s advice, and to skirt
unnecessary constitutional questions. But, to borrow another Brandeisian phrase,
constitutional avoidance is not an “inexorable command.” Washington v. W.C. Dawson &
Co., 264 U.S. 219, 238 (1924) (Brandeis, J., dissenting) (discussing stare decisis); see also
Bell v. Maryland, 378 U.S. 226, 322 (1964) (Black, J., dissenting) (discussing
constitutional avoidance). Sometimes, “important reasons” implore us to confront a
constitutional issue head-on. Siler, 213 U.S. at 193. Such is the case here. Standing behind
the First Amendment’s ministerial exception is a principle that, where possible, courts
should avoid even inquiring into a religious institution’s motives for firing one of its
ministers. Weighing in on the merits of Palmer’s case—even if we ultimately side with
Liberty—requires us to judge its motives, and thus make that inquiry. And Palmer was
indeed Liberty’s “minister,” since she served as an important “messenger” for its religious
teachings. Accordingly, while I would reach the same conclusion as the majority—
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Palmer’s suit should be dismissed—I would do so on different grounds. I thus respectfully
concur only in the judgment.
72 F.4th 52 (Eva Palmer v. Liberty University, Incorporated) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.