Winding up what I think will go down as a monumental term, the Supreme Court protected the religious freedom of religious institutions in a pair of victories.

For nearly seven years, the Little Sisters of the Poor, a group of nuns, have fought to be exempt from the Obama-era HHS contraceptive mandate. After the Trump Administration exempted the Little Sisters from having to provide and pay for birth control for their employees – did I mention they’re nuns?— the state of Pennsylvania sued. By a 7-2 margin, the Court sided with the Little Sisters.

In another case, Our Lady of Guadalupe vs. Morrisey-Berru, the Court ruled (again 7-2) that teachers at religious schools are ministers under the so-called “ministerial exception” when it comes to anti-discrimination laws.

As Justice Alito wrote, the First Amendment protects religious institutions’ “autonomy with respect to internal management decisions essential to the institution’s central mission.”

Come to BreakPoint.org to hear my full commentary on these significant decisions.