DOJ Sues Wa Over “Seal Of Confession” Law

📝 DESCRIPTION
DOJ Sues Wa Over “Seal Of Confession” Law

The U.S. Department of Justice has stepped into a constitutional crossfire—suing Washington state over Senate Bill 5375, which demands clergy report child‑abuse confessions or face criminal charges. That means Catholic priests must choose between breaking the sacred seal and staying faithful—or breaking the law and defying the court.

Here’s what’s at stake, and why it should matter to everyone:
This law directly conflicts with the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment and the principle of equal protection under the Fourteenth. Other professional privileges—attorney‑client, doctor‑patient—remain intact, yet this bill singles out religious confession. That’s not just uneven treatment; it’s ideological targeting.
DOJ argues this law fails strict scrutiny, the highest bar for infringing religious practice. The tension is real: can the state truly force speech that breaks a sacred vow? And if so, where do we draw the line on compelled speech?

At its core, this conflict touches on core civic and ethical values: freedom of conscience, the limits of state power, and the integrity of religious institutions that millions trust. We must ask: If we allow government to erase religious confidentiality here, what’s next? Are we undermining the moral foundations of trust and confidentiality that anchor civil society?

What’s worth protecting more: the privacy of the penitent or the paws of government enforcement? Is it possible to shield children from abuse and preserve constitutional space for faith-based confidentiality?

Look closely—and decide where you stand in this constitutional storm.

🔍 KEYWORD
#sealofconfession #religiousfreedom #dojsues #clergyprivilege #constitutionalrights