Ministerial exception case law

Headley et al. v. Church of Scientology International et al. was a court case filed in 2009 by Claire and Marc Headley against the Church of Scientology International alleging that the organization had violated laws against human trafficking and violated their human rights during their time of employment in the Sea Org. The Federal District Court decided that ministerial exemption protected the Church of Scientology from litigation and dismissed the case. The Headleys appealed. In 2012, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the lower court's dismissal; it did not address the Constitutional issues of the trafficking and abuse claims (as had the lower court), but said that there was insufficient evidence that the Headley's had been obtained by "serious harm, threats or other improper methods."

DeMarco v. Holy Cross High School 4 F.3d 166 (2nd Cir. 1993) was a discrimination case brought under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 ("ADEA"). The appellant, Guy DeMarco, was released from employment before his eligibility for tenure at the age of forty-nine. Holy Cross High School argued that it was not subject to ADEA laws and that if it were, this case against it violated the Free Exercise Clause and the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The school also argued that DeMarco had failed to utilize the administrative remedies available.