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Big Sky Colony, Inc. v. Montana Department of Labor & Industry

Petition for certiorari denied on October 7, 2013
Docket No. Op. Below Argument Opinion Vote Author Term
12-1191 Mont. N/A N/A N/A N/A OT 2013

Issue: (1) Whether the Free Exercise Clause requires a plaintiff to demonstrate that the challenged law singles out religious conduct or has a discriminatory motive, as the First, Second, Fourth, and Eighth Circuits and Montana Supreme Court have held, or whether it is instead sufficient to demonstrate that the challenged law treats a substantial category of nonreligious conduct more favorably than religious conduct, as the Third, Sixth, Tenth, and Eleventh Circuits and Iowa Supreme Court have held; and (2) whether the government regulates “an internal church decision” in violation of the Free Exercise Clause, Hosanna Tabor v. EEOC, when it forces a religious community to provide workers’ compensation insurance to its members in violation of the internal rules governing the community and its members.

SCOTUSblog Coverage

DateProceedings and Orders (key to color coding)
Apr 1 2013Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due May 2, 2013)
Apr 29 2013Waiver of right of respondent Montana Department of Labor and Industry to respond filed.
May 2 2013Brief amici curiae of Belmont Abbey,and The Abbey of New Clairvaux filed.
May 2 2013Brief amicus curiae of American Islamic Congress filed.
May 2 2013Brief amici curiae of 21 Scholars filed.
May 2 2013Brief amici curiae of Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye, et al. filed.
May 2 2013Brief amicus curiae of Michigan filed.
May 2 2013Brief amici curiae of National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, et al. filed.
May 6 2013Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs, in support of either party or of neither party, received from counsel for the petitioners.
May 14 2013DISTRIBUTED for Conference of May 30, 2013.
May 22 2013Response Requested . (Due June 21, 2013)
Jun 5 2013Order extending time to file response to petition to and including August 20, 2013.
Aug 20 2013Brief of respondent Montana Department of Labor and Industry in opposition filed.
Sep 4 2013DISTRIBUTED for Conference of September 30, 2013.
Sep 4 2013Reply of petitioners Big Sky Colony, Inc., et al. filed. (Distributed)
Oct 7 2013Petition DENIED.