September 18, 2009
Groups push to end hiring bias legalized for religious charities
by Carrie Johnson
The Washington Post
Nearly 60 groups concerned with civil rights, labor, health and education urged Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Thursday to renounce a Bush-era memo allowing religious charities that receive federal grant money to discriminate in hiring.
The groups signing the letter include the Anti-Defamation League, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and the NAACP. It asks the Justice Department to withdraw a legal finding that they say stands as "one of the most notable examples of the Bush administration's attempt to impose a constitutionally questionable and unwise policy."
The intersection of church and state is posing a political challenge for the Obama administration, which is trying to balance pressure from traditional Democratic constituencies with a desire to find common ground on social issues. Earlier this year, President Obama issued an executive order reinforcing the need for the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, but he left the religious hiring issue unaddressed.
Spokesmen for the Justice Department and the White House counsel had no immediate comment on the request.
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