Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod v. Federal Communications Commission
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
141 F.3d 344 (1998)

- Written by Sean Carroll, JD
Facts
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (the church) (plaintiff) held a broadcast license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) (defendant). The FCC had equal-employment-opportunity (EEO) regulations that required each broadcast licensee to consider the racial composition of its workforce, including all levels of employees. Generally, the regulations indicated a desire that each licensee’s workforce be proportionally represented by all races. The FCC’s desire for diverse broadcast programming was the basis for the EEO regulations. The FCC ruled that the church exhibited a hiring preference for Lutheran staff in violation of the EEO regulations. The church filed a petition for review in federal court, challenging the EEO regulations.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Silberman, J.)
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