Arizona Supreme Court: clergy don't have to report child abuse confessions
The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that clergy do not have to report child abuse if they learn of it through confidential disclosure, citing First Amendment principles protecting religious freedom. This decision has sparked controversy, with some arguing it gives religions absolute immunity to keep child abuse secret. The case stems from a situation where Mormon officials were aware of child abuse but did not report it, and the victims' attorney plans to seek review by the US Supreme Court.
- ▪The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that clergy have no obligation to report child abuse if they learn of it through confidential disclosure.
- ▪The case involves a former US Border Patrol agent who sexually abused his six children for at least seven years, and Mormon officials who were aware of the abuse but did not report it.
- ▪The victims' attorney plans to seek review by the US Supreme Court, arguing that the decision gives religions absolute immunity to keep child abuse secret.
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| Original publisher | Boing Boing |
| Canonical URL | https://boingboing.net/2026/08/02/arizona-supreme-court-rules-clergy-dont-have-to-report-child-abuse-confessions.html |
| Publication time | Sun, 02 Aug 2026 16:33:02 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-08-02T16:45:46.382Z |
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Arizona Supreme Court: clergy don't have to report child abuse Rob Beschizza 9:33 am Sun Aug 2, 2026 Lukas Bischoff Photograph / Shutterstock U.S. Border Patrol agent Paul Adams sexually abused all six his children for at least seven years before he was caught. He killed himself after being charged, but not before investigators realized that bishops and other officials at the Church of Latter Day Saints had long been aware of what he was doing to his children. The Arizona Supreme Court has now ruled that clergy have no obligation to report child abuse if they learn of it through confidential disclosure and doing so would not "align with their faith." Tucson attorney Lynne Cadigan, who represented the children who were the victims of the unreported sexual abuse at the heart of this case,…
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