Vice Chief Justice, Arizona Supreme Court
John R. Lopez IV
1 topic · 1 dated event
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Sexual Abuse and the Institutional Response
Vice Chief Justice, Arizona Supreme Court
Lopez wrote the unanimous opinion of 30 July 2025 that ended the Adams children's suit. The holding was narrow in subject and broad in effect: whether a statement is a "confession," and whether keeping it confidential is "reasonable and necessary within the concepts of the religion," are questions of religious doctrine that the First Amendment bars courts from reviewing. In his words, "We may not substitute our interpretation of Church doctrine for the Church's reading of its own doctrine."
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The Arizona Supreme Court decides who defines a confessionhinge
A unanimous court, Vice Chief Justice John R. Lopez IV writing, ended the Adams children's suit. It held that whether a communication is a "confession," and whether keeping it confidential is "reasonable and necessary within the concepts of the religion," are questions of religious doctrine that the First Amendment bars fact-finders from reviewing: "We may not substitute our interpretation of Church doctrine for the Church's reading of its own doctrine." The ruling reinstated the 2023 trial-court judgment and vacated a 2025 appellate decision that had sent the case toward a jury. Amicus briefs supporting the Church came from the Catholic dioceses of Phoenix, Tucson and Gallup, the Church of Scientology International and the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, among others.
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