Constitutional Law
Jul. 18, 2025
Catholic Church, White House oppose law on abuse reporting
A Washington state law making clergy mandatory reporters of child abuse faces legal challenges from Catholic leaders and the Trump administration, who argue that requirements that priests reveal information heard in confession is unconstitutional.
A new Washington state law requiring clergy--including Catholic priests--to report child abuse they hear about in confession is drawing strong opposition from the Roman Catholic Church and the Trump administration.
Julian W. Poon, a Los Angeles partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP representing the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, filed an amicus curiae brief this week calling the requirement for priests to reveal confessional information "an affront to a core tenet ...
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