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Employment, Sex Discrimination and The Churches: The Percy Case

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Frank Cranmer
Affiliation:
Honorary Research Fellow, Centre for Law and Religion, Cardiff University
Scot Peterson
Affiliation:
Doctoral Student, University of Oxford
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

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In this paper, the authors present different views of the legal implications of Percy v Church of Scotland Board of National Mission, in which the House of Lords reversed the Court of Session and held that a former minister could sue the Church under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and, contrary to previous views, probably had an enforceable contract for services. Cranmer describes the basis for the decision and suggests that it represents a realistic view of the employment status of clergy. Peterson is less optimistic about the decisions legal and practical effects and argues that it undermines the constitutional status of the Church of Scotland as well as overall prospects for religious freedom in Scotland.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Ecclesiastical Law Society 2006

References

1 Cranmer has written in support of the majority decision, Peterson against it: but we take joint responsibility for the article as a whole. Peterson wants to thank Sarah Ganz for her suggestions on an earlier draft.Google Scholar

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