President Trump’s Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the state of Washington in opposition to a bill that requires Catholic priests to report abuse confessions made in church, which violates Catholic doctrine, with Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon describing the law as explicitly targeting aspects of the faith.
For background, on June 23, 2025, the Justice Department sued Washington State over a new law, which the DOJ described as “anti-Catholic” because it requires Catholic priests to violate the confidentiality seal built into the sacrament of Confession. According to the Justice Department’s lawsuit, the law affects “all practicing members of the Catholic church” and violates the Constitution.
In a press release issued on June 23, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon weighed in on the lawsuit, saying, “Laws that explicitly target religious practices such as the Sacrament of Confession in the Catholic Church have no place in our society.”
Continuing, Dhillon said that the Washington law “unconstitutionally forces Catholic priests in Washington to choose between their obligations to the Catholic Church and their penitents or face criminal consequences, while treating the priest-penitent privilege differently than other well-settled privileges.” She added, “The Justice Department will not sit idly by when States mount attacks on the free exercise of religion.”
In addition, the lawsuit argues that Senate Bill 5375, the law recently passed by Washington State, “unlawfully targets clergy and, specifically, Catholic priests,” adding, “The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, also known as Confession, is one of the seven Holy Sacraments of the Catholic Church. It is a sacred rite with roots that can be traced back to the origins of Catholicism.”
Furthermore, the DOJ’s lawsuit argues that confidentiality is “the lifeblood of Confession,” going on to add, “Without it, the free exercise of the Catholic religion, i.e., the apostolic duties performed by the Catholic priest to the benefit of Catholic parishioners, cannot take place.”
However, in defense of SB 5375, Democrat Sen. Noel Frame of Seattle said, “It’s long past time for this protection for children,” adding, “Members of the clergy play such an important role in the lives of children, like teachers and doctors do, and just like those other trusted adults, clergy should be mandatory reporters.”
On the other hand, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle responded to SB35 with a statement saying, “While we remain committed to protecting minors and all vulnerable people from abuse, priests cannot
comply with this law if the knowledge of abuse is obtained during the Sacrament of Reconciliation.” The statement continued, “This new law singles out religion and is clearly both government overreach and a double standard.
The line between Church and state has been crossed and needs to be walked back.”
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