A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Seattle Pacific University that aimed to end a state investigation into whether the school'hiring and employment practices illegally discriminate against LGBTQ+ people.
The private Christian university filed the federal lawsuit this summer in order to stop Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson from collecting information about possible hiring discrimination by the school. Ferguson's office is investigating whether SPU's hiring practices run afoul of Washington's civil rights laws.
According to a news release from the AG's office, the federal judge ruled that SPU's arguments — which claim that Ferguson's investigation violates the school's First Amendment rights — should be raised in state court instead.
It's the latest development in an ongoing controversy over the school's policies that prohibit the hiring of people in same-sex marriages and require staff to abide by a statement that sex should be between a married man and woman.
Faculty approved a vote of no confidence in the school's board of trustees last year following a now-settled lawsuit from a professor who said he was denied a promotion because he's gay. The 2021 lawsuit led the school to form a work group that ultimately recommended the school get rid of its employment policies on same-sex marriage and relationships — a recommendation the board subsequently denied when trustees voted this spring to keep the policies on the books.
Students organized protests shortly after that decision, including a months-long sit-in inside the school's administration building this spring and summer.
The widespread pushback to the trustees' decision and complaints made to the AG's office in May prompted Ferguson to send a letter to the school in June requesting more information about the policies, who they have been applied to and when, and detailed job descriptions for every position at the school.
In response, SPU filed the federal suit alleging Ferguson's inquiry violated the school's religious freedom — the school is affiliated with the Free Methodist Church.
Pete Menjares, interim president of Seattle Pacific University, expressed disappointment in this week's ruling — and defiance of Ferguson's investigation — following the lawsuit's dismissal.
"The government should not interfere with our ability to operate out of our sincerely held religious beliefs," he said. "But the court did not decide whether the state can investigate our university's internal affairs. We will continue to defend ourselves from unlawful interference with our Christian mission."
Meanwhile, a group of students, staff, faculty and alumni have filed a lawsuit of their own against the school, alleging the university's trustees are violating their fiduciary duty and pushing the school to the brink of ruin.
