Supreme Court backs Christian worker who wanted Sundays off in case that may have wide impact - USA Today

The Supreme Court on Thursday sided with an evangelical Christian worker who was denied requests to take Sundays off from his post office job to observe his Sabbath, a decision that could have wide-ranging implications for the American workplace.

While the court did not overrule a precedent that set when employers must make accommodations for religious employees, it did “explain the contours” of that decision in way that may be more beneficial to employees.

…

Justice Samuel Alito wrote the opinion for a unanimous court. The decision sends the case back to lower courts.

At the center of the case is Gerald Groff, a former U.S. Postal Service employee who wanted to take Sundays off for church and rest. That presented a scheduling conflict – and a burden on his colleagues, the government argued – after the Postal Service started delivering Amazon packages on Sundays.

Groff’s attorneys had asked the Supreme Court to toss out a 1977 precedent that made it easier for some companies to deny such requests. The earlier case said that businesses could avoid meeting religious requests if the cost of doing so would be more than a “de minimis,” or trivial, amount.

Read the full story here

USA Today

• Bias: Center Left
• Established: 1982
• Owners/Board Members: Gannett, Mike Reed
• For-Profit: Yes
• Reach: 139.8 million average unique monthly web users (2022)