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Following Whitworth YAF Lawsuit, Washington State Amends Unconstitutional Work-Study Program Barring Religious Employers

Following Whitworth YAF Lawsuit, Washington State Amends Unconstitutional Work-Study Program Barring Religious Employers

By

kara

December 2, 2019

Victory! The Young Americans for Freedom chapter at Whitworth University defeated the state of Washington in a lawsuit, after challenging the state’s unconstitutional work-study program laws which prohibited students from working at religious employers. The Whitworth YAF chapter, working with the Institute of Justice, challenged the constitutionality of Washington’s work-study law. The law, which denied students from working at private and faith-based organizations, discriminated against religious employers, violating the 14th Amendment. Students at Whitworth could not even be employed on their own campus, given that their school is a Christian college. “Under the existing program, you couldn’t even work in the dining hall or with groundskeeping if you were receiving financial aid from state work study programs because Whitworth is a Christian university,” said Madison Habersatzer, former chairman of the Whitworth YAF chapter and current Program Officer at the Reagan Ranch. As a result of the lawsuit, Washington has ended religious discrimination in its work-study program, and has adopted new regulations allowing students to accept positions with religiously affiliated employers. After the new regulations were adopted, the YAF chapter voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit. Lauren Savgold, current chairman of Whitworth YAF, also played an instrumental role in this monumental victory. Young America’s Foundation applauds the Whitworth YAF chapter and the Institute of Justice for their dedication to ensuring religious liberty and freedom prevailed in the state of Washington.

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