Will McRaney v. The North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, Incorporated

In the decision below, the Fifth Circuit held that the “church autonomy doctrine” provides a defendant “immunity” from claims by a plaintiff who never worked for the defendant, never served as a minister for the defendant, and never submitted to the authority of the defendant with respect to any ecclesiastical or secular matter. The Question Presented is: Does the church autonomy doctrine apply to, and foreclose, civil law claims which are not disputes about the internal affairs or self-governance of a religious institution?1 1 Petitioner agrees with the Fifth Circuit that the ministerial exception is “one ‘component’ of the church autonomy doctrine” (Pet. App. 14a) and intends that the applicability of the ministerial exception is subsumed within the Question Presented.