Whether the First Amendment protects the Mission's right to hire coreligionists

QUESTIONS PRESENTED Petitioner Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission is a nonprofit that exists to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Mission employees—all of whom must share and live out its beliefs—do so by meeting the needs of the homeless and evangelizing to them. One of the Mission’s many ministries is Open Door Legal Services, a legal clinic that assists those in Mission recovery programs and other vulnerable community members. Respondent Matthew Woods applied for an Open Door position with the stated intent of changing the Mission’s religious beliefs and without satisfying the prerequisites of regular church attendance, a pastor’s recommendation, and an explanation of his relationship with Jesus. Woods sued when the Mission hired a coreligionist instead. A state trial court ruled for the Mission, noting that it is exempt from state non-discrimination law. But the Washington Supreme Court held that exemption violated the state constitution as-applied and declared the Mission’s First Amendment rights limited to the ministerial exception, creating a split with six Courts of Appeals. The questions presented are: 1. Whether the First Amendment protects the Mission’s right to hire coreligionists. 2. Whether denying the Mission a total exemption the state grants to secular, small businesses violates the Free Exercise Clause. 3. Whether the Washington Supreme Court violated the Free Exercise Clause by showing at least a “slight suspicion” of hostility to religious beliefs in deleting a total exemption the legislature bestowed.