Top Michigan court hears case of fired Calvin professor

The Michigan Supreme Court was scheduled to hear oral arguments Thursday in a former Calvin University teacher’s civil rights lawsuit against the school. The private, Christian university terminated Joseph Kuilema’s teaching contract in 2022 after officials discovered he officiated a same-sex wedding. Kuilema, a social worker who taught social work classes, subsequently sued the school. After a protracted legal battle, the Michigan Supreme Court agreed to hear one of his claims: That his firing broke a state law barring discrimination based on sexual or gender identity. Kuilema’s lawyers were expected to argue that the law applies to his case because his firing stemmed from his association with a same-sex couple.

What’s the university’s position? Attorneys from the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, who are representing Calvin University, previously argued that the First Amendment shielded the religious institution’s employment decisions from court interference. They said the school had the right to make such decisions to ensure students received instruction aligned with its beliefs, according to the Becket Fund.

Calvin University is affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church in North America. The denomination believes that homosexual acts are sinful. However, it also holds that “same-sex oriented Christians” should be accepted into Christian communities and be allowed to serve in church offices.

Dig deeper: Read Mary Jackson’s earlier report for more details on the controversy.