The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a major case on a former postal worker's claims that he was denied religious accommodations when he was told to work on Sundays. Gerald Groff, whose career as a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier ended with his resignation in 2019, said his postmaster's refusal to accommodate his request to not work on the Sabbath turned into an ultimatum between his work and his faith.
Groff's case leans heavily on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prevents religious discrimination in employment. Attorneys for the ex-postmaster say the 1977 Supreme Court case Trans World Airlines v. Hardison created a barrier for employees to bring discrimination cases and made it so employers don't have to prove an undue hardship.
Since leaving his job at the U.N. Postal service, Groff has found other work delivering mail to close approximately 3,000 team members and residents at a retirement community.
On Tuesday, The Supreme Court will hear an appeal involving Gerald Groff who didn't want to work Sundays due to dispute over religious accommodations. As a rural carrier associate at the United States Postal Service (USPS), Groff was denied access to packages delivered on Sundays because of his Christian religious beliefs.
In response, Groff sued USPS for violating Title VII - federal law prohibiting discrimination against employees based on their religion. The ruling by the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed this decision in a tight 2-1 opinion stating that employers must demonstrate they made "good faith effort" towards "reasonably accommodating" employee’s beliefs or show such accommodation would lead to "undue hardship."
A dissenting judge from this case named Thomas Hardiman provided guidance for justices seeking favorable rulings for Gerald Groff while advising them either invalidate precedent or allow accommodation enabling workers like Groff to "serve both his employer and his God."