Help for church orgs Supremes cut discrimination rights for workers

Shot on his bike a block from home

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is siding with two Catholic schools in a ruling that underscores that certain employees of religious schools, hospitals and social service centers can’t sue for employment discrimination.

In a 7-to-2 ruling, Justice Samuel Alito wrote in his majority opinion Tuesday that allowing courts to consider workplace discrimination claims against the schools would interfere with the schools’ çonstitutionally guaranteed religious independence. “The religious education and formation of students is the very reason for the existence of most private religious schools, and therefore the selection and supervision of the teachers upon whom the schools rely to d o this work lie at the core of their mission,” Alito wrote.

In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, warned that as many as 100,000 employees could lose the right to contest job discrimination as a result of the ruling.

It involved two schools in

Southern California that were sued by former teachers. In one case, Kristen Biel sued St. James Catholic School in Torrance for disability discrimination after she disclosed she had breast cancer and her teaching contract wasn’t renewed.

In the other case, Agnes Morrissey-Berru sued Our Lady of Guadalupe school in Hermosa Beach for age discrimination after her teaching contract wasn’t renewed when she was in her 60s. The lawsuits were both initially dismissed, but an appeals court revived them. The Trump administration had backed the schools.

A 35-year-old man sitting on a bicycle was fatally shot just up the block from his East Harlem home early Wednesday, police said.

Kenneth Brown was struck in the upper body on Pleasant Ave. near E. 120th St. about 12:40 a.m. Medics rushed him to Harlem Hospital, but could not be saved.

The shooter fled after firing from across the street and is still being sought.

Brown had had arrests for assault and drugs, but it was not clear why he was shot.