As AFN has reported, Gerald Groff was forced to quit his job as a postal worker because of his religious beliefs. After initially granting his request when the postal service began delivering packages on Sundays for Amazon, the USPS ultimately refused his religious accommodations request to not work on the day Christians widely observe as the Sabbath.
Last Friday, Groff's case was added to the Supreme Court's agenda.
"This is a wonderful development, and this case has so much potential to help religious employees," comments attorney Stephanie Taub of First Liberty Institute, one of the law firms representing Groff.
She says religious employees often need reasonable accommodations in order to have equal opportunities in the workplace. Otherwise, they could be barred from entire industries.
"The federal civil law requires employers to grant meaningful religious accommodations for people of faith, but they don't always live up to that promise," Taub relays. "We're hoping the Supreme Court will really apply the law as written and require employers -- whether they're government employers or private employers -- to grant these reasonable religious accommodations."
A date has not been set for the Supreme Court argument. First Liberty assumes it be will be heard in the spring, possibly sometime around April.
