PHILADELPHIA – Stradley Ronon Partner Mark E. Chopko presented a webinar on the ministerial exception for the National Association of Church Personnel Administration on May 23. Chopko’s presentation addressed the origin of the ministerial exemption under the First Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously adopted a robust ministerial exemption but placed the burden on religious employers to justify when the exemption applies. Chopko address a number of legal and practical considerations, and how a religious employer can take steps now to decide which of its positions might qualify for that protection.
Chopko chairs Stradley Ronon’s nonprofit and religious organizations practice group and advises clients, including colleges and universities, in matters involving structural, business, governance, regulatory and complex litigation. He also teaches a seminar on church-state law at Georgetown University Law Center. A former general counsel for the U.S. Conference on Catholic Bishops, he has participated in more than 30 Supreme Court cases as counsel for religious groups in friend-of-the-Court briefs.
About Stradley Ronon
Counseling clients since 1926, Stradley Ronon has helped private and public companies – from small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations – achieve their goals by providing pragmatic, value-driven legal counsel. With offices in eight strategic locations, our responsive team of more than 200 attorneys seamlessly addresses the full spectrum of our clients’ needs, ranging from sophisticated corporate transactions to complex commercial litigation.