WA Judge Blocks Law Forcing Priests To Report Child Abuse If Revealed In the Confessional
2025 Ordintations
Days before a new law came into effect that would have required Roman Catholic priests to report sexual abuse of minors to law enforcement in all circumstances and under threat of punishment, a federal judge has blocked the legislation, pending a judicial review.
Signed into law by Governor Bob Ferguson (D) on May 2, 2025, Senate Bill 5375 requires priests to notify law enforcement of any suspected or known child abuse or neglect, regardless of the context in which it is revealed.
The Archdiocese of Seattle has vehemently opposed the measure, insisting they will deal swiftly with any priest who breaks the seal of confession. Catholic priests maintain that while they are willing to act as mandatory reporters for abuse disclosed outside the confessional, the sacrament itself is sacred and inviolable. For instance, if a person confesses to ongoing sexual abuse of their children during confession, these clergymen argue they are bound by church doctrine to keep that information confidential.
According to Premiere News:
Chief Judge David Estudillo ruled on Friday that the legislation likely violated the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which protects the free exercise of religion. In his 25-page ruling, he said the state had failed to show why it could not allow an exemption for religious confession, especially when around 25 other US states do so.
He wrote: “The State arguably could have chosen a less restrictive means of advancing its interest in protecting children from abuse and neglect by adding members of the clergy to the list of mandated reporters while also permitting a narrow exception for the confessional.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon previously commented on the bill, siding with the Church as he remarked:
“SB 5375 demands that Catholic Priests violate their deeply held faith in order to obey the law, a violation of the Constitution and a breach of the free exercise of religion cannot stand under our Constitutional system of government. Worse, the law appears to single out clergy as not entitled to assert applicable privileges, as compared to other reporting professionals. We take this matter very seriously and look forward to Washington State’s cooperation with our investigation.”
As a result of the ruling, the law will remain off the books pending a review.
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