Orthodox Jewish Chamber Who filed Amicus Brief in Support Applauds Supreme Court Ruling Enhancing Religious Accommodation in the Workplace
The Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce is proud to have advocated as part of the COLPA Amicus Brief filed in the US Supreme Court on behalf of the Mailman and Religious Accommodation in the Workplace.
Our advocacy has played a part in this historic victory ruling for religious liberty. In a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court came down in favor of an employee’s right not to be forced to violate his religious beliefs, provided that they don’t create a “substantial increased cost” for the employer. Famed attorney Nathan Lewin, Esq. was the author of an amicus brief on behalf of the National Commission on Law and Public Affairs that argued persuasively for a reevaluation of the decades-old precedent on the matter. The Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce was one of several Jewish organizations to join the brief.
The plaintiff in the case, Gerald Groff, is an Evangelical Christian postal worker who sued the US Postal Service under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act for demanding that he work on Sunday in violation of his religious beliefs. According to the standard set decades ago in TWA v. Hardison, employees effectively have little redress if the employer can provide even a trivial justification of its requirements. The ruling today is a major win, reflecting America’s commitment to being a place where people of all religions feel welcome.