Overview

• U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo granted a preliminary injunction on July 18 that bars enforcement of SB 5375’s confessional reporting requirement.
• The order prevents Washington from imposing up to 364 days in jail or a $5,000 fine on any Catholic priest under the Seattle, Spokane, and Yakima archbishops for confession disclosures.
• Archbishops Paul D. Etienne, Thomas A. Daly, and Joseph J. Tyson argued that the law violated their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights by targeting the seal of confession.
• The law, signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson in May and due to take effect July 27, uniquely removed clergy from existing confidentiality exemptions afforded to other professions.
• State officials may appeal to the Ninth Circuit as the case advances, determining the balance between child-protection mandates and religious-liberty protections.