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Union Gospel Mission of Yakima Washington v. Brown, et al. — 9th Cir. (Sep 29, 2026)

No. 24-7246 Argued September 29, 2026 Published September 30, 2026

A Christian mission in Yakima, Washington, asks whether it may require all its employees to share its faith, including an IT technician and an operations assistant. The mission runs shelters, meal services, health clinics, and recovery programs. Washington law bars hiring discrimination based on sexual orientation. After a 2021 state Supreme Court ruling limited the law's exemption for religious nonprofits to ministerial jobs, the mission sued before the state brought an enforcement action. A federal judge temporarily barred enforcement against the mission's faith-based hiring for non-ministerial roles. A three-judge Ninth Circuit panel upheld that order, but its opinion was vacated when the court agreed to rehear the case. Now eleven judges will consider whether the injunction should remain, whether a live dispute exists, and how far the First Amendment protects a religious organization's hiring choices.

Union Gospel Mission of Yakima Washington v. Brown, et al. (No. 24-7246) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, argued September 29, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — Ninth Circuit (public domain, 17 U.S.C. § 105):https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/media/2026/09/29/24-7246.mp3
Argument listing and date — Ninth Circuit:https://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/cases/streams-videos/archive?case=24-7246&hearingDate=2026-09-29
En banc order vacating the panel opinion — Ninth Circuit:https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2026/06/18/24-7246.pdf
Preliminary injunction — U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington:https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/yakima-v-washington-preliminary-injunction.pdf
Earlier panel opinion (vacated; cited only for case history) — Ninth Circuit:https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2026/01/06/24-7246.pdf
Woods decision — Washington Supreme Court:https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/961328.pdf
State hiring law and bona fide occupational qualification — RCW 49.60.180:https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=49.60.180
Religious-nonprofit employer exemption — RCW 49.60.040:https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=49.60.040
Bona fide occupational qualification rule — WAC 162-16-240:https://app.leg.wa.gov/Wac/default.aspx?cite=162-16-240
Mission programs and services — Yakima Union Gospel Mission:https://yugm.org/programs/
Mission hiring policy — Yakima Union Gospel Mission:https://yugm.org/employment/
Advocate and party position — Alliance Defending Freedom:https://adfmedia.org/press-release/9th-circuit-to-decide-whether-christian-homeless-ministry-must-hire-people-who-reject-its-faith/
Independent argument reporting and counsel identities — Courthouse News:https://courthousenews.com/washington-defends-religious-hiring-law-before-full-ninth-circuit/

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