Three former Church of Scientology workers who said they endured “a world filled with abuse, violence, intimidation and fear” in the organization must bring their claims of human trafficking to an arbitration panel of loyal church members, not the U.S. justice system, a federal judge has ruled. …

But deciding whether Scientology teachings render the agreements unenforceable would require the court to interpret religious doctrine, something the First Amendment forbids, U.S. District Judge Tom Barber wrote in his order on Friday.

“An uninterested observer reading the (lawsuit) would likely be surprised and shocked by the conduct alleged,” Barber wrote. “But under existing law, plaintiffs are limited to seeking relief through arbitration within the Scientology organization itself, not through the courts.”

[That seems like an example of constitutional scrupulosity. Under any other circumstances, a billion-year contract would be prima facie evidence of abuse, at least of the legal system, and the First Amendment doesn’t protect abusive treatment or lawfare. Barber’s ruling doesn’t preclude a later intervention in court, though; he ordered both sides to report back on the arbitration decision within 14 days of its resolution and has only stayed the lawsuit in the meantime. Still … — Ed]