US Supreme Court has ruled in favour of a Christian postal worker who refused to work on Sundays because of his religious beliefs and was disciplined by his employer.
Supreme court threw out a lower court’s decision rejecting a claim by Gerald Groff, a former mail carrier in Pennsylvania, that the Postal Service’s actions refusing to exempt him from working on Sundays, violated federal anti-discrimination law.
The First Liberty Institute backing his case said the unanimous ruling is a “landmark decision”, which “strengthens legal protections for employees seeking religious accommodations, such as schedule changes to observe holy days”.
“It’s an amazing moment to be part of, getting rid of some bad stuff that was on the books and being part of what God did”, Gerald Groff said immediately after the ruling was announced.
“It’s an honour to have my name on it but it’s really about glorifying God and giving him the honour that He is due”, he said.
The Philadelphia-based 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals had found that Groff’s absences placed too much of a hardship on his co-workers and employer. The Supreme Court ordered the 3rd Circuit to reconsider the matter.
Gerald Groff had been working as a fill-in mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) in Pennsylvania’s Amish Country, covering days when other postal deliverers were off. But he lost his job when an Amazon.com contract with the Postal Service required carriers to start delivering packages on Sundays.
