
Summary of facts: The former fire chief of Stockton, California was fired for, in the words of a city official, being “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. He lost in the trial court and appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The appeals court panel ruled against the former fire chief, excusing the city official’s claim as a “reasonable inquir[y].” The former fire chief then filed a petition for rehearing, seeking reconsideration of the panel’s decision by the full Ninth Circuit.
RFI position: The Ninth Circuit should reverse the panel’s ruling against the former fire chief. As it now stands, this opinion provides a roadmap for employers to justify similar, impermissible inquiries into the practices of members of religious minority groups.
Read the amicus brief here.
THE RFI BLOG

RFI President Eric Patterson: “The Sin of Silence”

RFI President Eric Patterson: “Don’t Know Much About History”

Misunderstanding bin Laden’s 2002 “Letter to Americans”

The Real Threat to Religious Freedom in Ukraine

RFI Hosts Launch Event for Policy Institute Defending Catholic Health Care Providers
CORNERSTONE FORUM

Public Bioethics & the Failure of Expressive Individualism

Religious Liberty in American Higher Education

Scotland’s Kate Forbes and the March of Secularism

70 Years of Religious Freedom in Sweden: Prospects and Challenges
