British Religious Leaders Want Special Judicial Panel To Hear Religious Rights Cases

Today's London Times reports that Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, and other church leaders will support a motion being filed by attorneys for Christain relationship counsellor Gary McFarlane calling for a special Court of Appeals panel of five judges who understand religious issues to be appointed to hear McFarlane's appeal and future appeals involving religious rights. At issue in McFarlane's case is a ruling by the Employment Appeal Tribunal that religious discrimination prohibitions were not violated when McFarlane was dismissed by a counselling service for refusing to counsel same-sex couples. (See prior posting.) Critics of the court say that a series of rulings have shown a lack of understanding of Christian beliefs. They point especially to an opinion by Lord Neuberger, the Master of the Rolls, rejecting a complaint by marriage registrar Lillian Ladele who was disciplined when she refused to perform civil partnership ceremonies for same-sex couples. (See prior posting.)