Appeals Court Upholds Auto Chain's Christian Franchise Rule

A federal appeals court has ruled that Christian Brothers Automotive Corporation may franchise only to professing Christians. The Christian Post reported on October 8 that a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously for the company last week and dismissed a lawsuit brought by a Jewish franchise applicant.

Christian Brothers is a faith-based auto repair chain with a stated mission to "glorify God by providing ethical and excellent service to its customers." According to The Christian Post, the company requires franchisees to be "spiritually aligned with the company and prepared to share a personal Christian testimony." Court documents cited in the report say the chain has more than 250 franchisees across about 30 states, including at least two ethnic Jews who are professing Christians. Gospeller adds that the company operates over 250 locations and asks applicants to share a personal Christian testimony as part of its vetting.

Court records show that Evan Domanic, who identified as both ethnically and religiously Jewish, applied for a franchise in fall 2020. He reached the third of eight steps in the process before a company employee told him the application was ending because he is Jewish, according to the report. Domanic sued in 2022 in the Southern District of Texas, alleging the denial was based on his Jewish ethnicity. The district court granted Christian Brothers summary judgment, finding the policy was religious discrimination, which falls outside the law he sued under.

On appeal, Domanic argued that Jewish ethnicity and faith are essentially identical for federal-law purposes. The panel declined to adopt what it called this "novel" argument, saying it was "in tension with the Supreme Court's longstanding precedent that § 1981 does not reach religious discrimination." Circuit Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan wrote the opinion, noting that the Seventh Circuit has twice rejected similar claims. The court found that all the evidence pointed to religious rather than ethnic discrimination, since the chain franchises only to professing Christians and its franchisees include ethnic Jews who meet that qualification. It added that no evidence suggested the company was using a religious policy as cover for antisemitism. The ruling affirms the lower court's summary judgment.

Christian Brothers did not respond to The Christian Post's request for comment by press time. The chain was established in 1982 and openly describes Christian ideals on its website, where it points to Matthew 22:39 as its guiding idea for customer service. A 2024 company video shows employees gathered in prayer while a narrator says faith in Christ has been the bedrock of the organization from the beginning.

Colossians 3:17 reminds us that every word and deed can be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, with thanks to God the Father. A business that fixes cars can serve Christ as surely as a pulpit can. Pray for Christian Brothers, for Mr. Domanic and for a witness in the workplace marked by integrity and kindness toward every neighbor.

Read Colossians 3:17