GARLAND WOULD HAVE MADE IT 9-0:

The court ruled 8-0 that church-affiliated organizations are exempt from the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, a 1974 law that forces private employers to follow rules aimed at protecting pension plan participants.

The ruling was a victory for New Jersey-based Saint Peter's Healthcare System, Illinois-based Advocate Health Care Network and California-based Dignity Health, which had faced separate employee lawsuits accusing them of wrongly claiming a religious exemption under ERISA.

Federal agencies had long interpreted the law as exempting not just church plans but also those of church-affiliated organizations. [...]

Writing for the court, Justice Elena Kagan said the law's religious exemption applies to plans whether they were established by churches themselves or organizations affiliated with the churches.

Tweet   @brothersjudd