Hundreds of denominations and congregations — encompassing Christians, Jews and Muslims and all manner of doctrinal approaches — have signed on to legal briefs opposed to the ruling. Here are a few of the clergy members’ arguments:

We’re not that unusual: Far from the housing benefit being exclusive to clergy members, lots of non-ministers receive a variety of tax-exempt housing benefits from the government, defendants say.

The concept is called “convenience of the employer.” It happens when a worker is required to live at a particular place as a condition of employment.

“Common examples include hotel managers who must live at the hotel, military officers who must live in the barracks, or commercial fishermen who must live on a ship,” writes the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

In these secular situations, the workers are not taxed on the housing benefits because it’s not income, it’s a component of their jobs.