Summary of facts: The former fire chief of Stockton, California was fired for being, in the words of his supervisor, “part of…a Christian Coalition” within the fire department, and for attending a faith-based leadership conference. The former fire chief sued in federal court under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of religion. The trial court dismissed his lawsuit on the ground that his supervisor was not motivated by anti-Christian animus but merely responded to the animus of the chief’s coworkers. The court also held that his termination was justified by his supervisor’s aim of avoiding potential Establishment Clause lawsuits. The former chief appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which denied his appeal. The former chief is now seeking review in the Supreme Court.

RFI’s position: A coworker’s dislike of an employee’s religious practice and expression in the workplace cannot justify firing that employee. Nor does an employer’s purported desire to avoid violating the Establishment Clause allow that employer to discriminate against religiously observant employees. If the Ninth Circuit’s understanding and application of Title VII is allowed to stand, it would expose all religious employees to the whims of majority perceptions about their religious exercise. And it would leave minority religions especially vulnerable to violations of their rights under the statute.