{"id":2450930,"date":"2025-06-23T15:56:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T19:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-sues-washington-state-over-new-law-requiring-catholic-clergy-to-report-suspected-abuse\/"},"modified":"2025-06-23T15:57:05","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T19:57:05","slug":"doj-sues-washington-state-over-new-law-requiring-catholic-clergy-to-report-suspected-abuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-sues-washington-state-over-new-law-requiring-catholic-clergy-to-report-suspected-abuse\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ sues Washington state over new law requiring Catholic clergy to report suspected abuse"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdoj-sues-washington-state-over-new-law-requiring-catholic-clergy-to-report-suspected-abuse%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2450930&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>the Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against the state of Washington over a newly enacted law requiring Catholic clergy to report any <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >suspected child abuse<\/a> or neglect disclosed during confession sessions. This law, known as Senate Bill 5375, was approved by Governor Bob Ferguson and is set to take effect in July. It poses a important conflict for priests, as disclosing confessional secrets could lead to their excommunication from the Church, while failing to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/libby-emmons-floridas-anti-groomer-law-protects-kids-and-parents-from-activist-educators\/\" title=\"Libby Emmons: Florida\u2019s Anti-Groomer ... Protects Kids and Parents From Activist Educators\">report suspected abuse<\/a> could result in criminal penalties, including jail time and fines.<\/p>\n<p>Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet K. dhillon criticized the law, arguing that it unjustly targets religious practices. This sentiment is echoed by some Catholic clergy, including Bishop Thomas daly, who expressed readiness to face imprisonment rather than compromise their religious principles. Governor Ferguson, on the other hand, has voiced disappointment at the Church&#8217;s legal response, suggesting that it protects individuals who abuse children rather than upholding the law&#8217;s intentions. The case underscores the tension between civil obligations and religious doctrine, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/woman-strikes-nypd-officer-with-her-car-has-five-haunting-words-for-investigators-report\/\" title=\"Woman hits NYPD officer with car, gives chilling ...ment to investigators: ...\">raising significant questions<\/a> about religious freedom and child protection laws.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">DOJ sues Washington state over new law requiring Catholic clergy to report suspected abuse<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2137619\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/doj\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"The Department of Justice\">Department of Justice<\/a> is suing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Washington\">Washington<\/a> state over a new law requiring <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/catholicism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Catholic\">Catholic<\/a> clergy to report suspected <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/child-abuse-and-neglect\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"child abuse or neglect\">child abuse or neglect<\/a> shared during confessionals.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/harmeet-dhillon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Harmeet K. Dhillon\">Harmeet K. Dhillon<\/a>, the assistant U.S. attorney general, condemned the law in a statement on social media on Monday. &ldquo;Laws that explicitly target religious practices such as the Sacrament of Confession in the Catholic Church have no place in our society,&rdquo; she wrote in <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CivilRights\/status\/1937183534801629578\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">a post<\/a> on X. &ldquo;The Justice Department will not sit idly by when States mount attacks on the free exercise of religion.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3449398\/how-the-supreme-court-skrmetti-ruling-reshapes-us-legal-cases\/\">How the Supreme Court Skrmetti ruling reshapes US legal cases<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3450466\/judge-abrego-garcia-must-be-released-while-awaiting-trial\/\">Judge rules Abrego Garcia must be released while awaiting trial<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3450224\/doj-backs-california-sheriff-fighting-state-illegal-sanctuary-law\/\">DOJ backs California sheriff fighting state&#8217;s &#8216;illegal&#8217; sanctuary law<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The law in question, <a href=\"https:\/\/lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov\/biennium\/2025-26\/Pdf\/Bills\/Session%20Laws\/Senate\/5375.SL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Senate Bill 5375\">Senate Bill 5375<\/a>, was approved last month by Gov. Bob Ferguson (D-WA), taking effect in July. It requires Catholic clergy to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3425782\/catholic-bishops-sue-washington-mandatory-reporter-law-child-abuse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">disclose suspected child abuse<\/a> or neglect, even if they learn of it during confessionals with parishioners.<\/p>\n<p>Confession is one of the sacraments of the Catholic Church. Disclosing any information a parishioner shares during these sessions is grounds for the excommunication of a priest from the Catholic Church. However, if a priest fails to report suspected abuse, even if they learn of it during confession, they could face almost a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.<\/p>\n<p>Consequently, the dilemma facing Catholic priests has become whether to follow canon law or civil law, prompting a group of priests to file a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3425782\/catholic-bishops-sue-washington-mandatory-reporter-law-child-abuse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">lawsuit<\/a> last month against Ferguson and other state officials.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The law has been described as &ldquo;a brazen act of religious discrimination&rdquo; by Hiram Sasser, the executive general counsel for the nonprofit First Liberty Institute.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3450319\/pope-leo-war-does-not-solve-problems-us-strikes-iran\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"POPE LEO SAYS &lsquo;WAR DOES NOT SOLVE PROBLEMS' FOLLOWING US STRIKES ON IRAN\"><strong>POPE LEO SAYS &lsquo;WAR DOES NOT SOLVE PROBLEMS&rsquo; FOLLOWING US STRIKES ON IRAN<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Many priests seem adamant about maintaining the rules of confession. Speaking on behalf of other Catholic priests, Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane claimed he and other priests were &ldquo;prepared to face jail rather than violate the rules of the church.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Ferguson has expressed disappointment regarding the Church&rsquo;s reaction to the new law. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m disappointed my Church is filing a federal lawsuit to protect individuals who abuse kids,&rdquo; the Democratic governor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.king5.com\/article\/news\/politics\/doj-files-lawsuit-washington-state-mandatory-clergy-reporting\/281-a44ca8a4-0ec1-4cf0-97dc-34796df9debc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">said<\/a> last month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2137619\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2137619\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DOJ sues Washington over law mandating clergy report abuse<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3842,"featured_media":2450931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/dillon-washington-catholic.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[33551,57261,7076,32142,32667],"class_list":["post-2450930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-catholic-church","tag-clergy-abuse","tag-doj","tag-legal-action","tag-washington-state"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/dillon-washington-catholic.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2450930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3842"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2450930"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2450930\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2450934,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2450930\/revisions\/2450934"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2450931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2450930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2450930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2450930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}