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Supreme Court hands religious freedom win to postal worker who refused to work on Sunday
Fox News ^ | June 29, 2023 | Chris Pandolfo , Bill Mears

Posted on 06/29/2023 7:54:44 AM PDT by Reno89519

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unanimously for a postal worker in Pennsylvania in an important religious liberty dispute, over now far employers should go to accommodate faith-based requests in the workplace.

Gerald Groff, a Christian mail carrier, from Pennsylvania, asked the court to decide if U.S. Postal Service could require him to deliver Amazon packages on Sundays, which he observes as the Sabbath. His attorney, Aaron Streett, argued in April that the court should revisit a 50-year-old precedent that established a test to determine when employers should make accommodations for their employees' religious practices.

In ruling for the government worker, the high court overturned its 1977 precedent that said employers had to "reasonably accommodate" an employee's religious beliefs and practices, so long as it did not create an "undue hardship" on the business.

The new decision tightens the "undue hardship" standard, and could make it easier for some individual employees to secure a religious accommodation in the workplace.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: groffvdejoy; scotus; supremecourt; usps
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To: Sacajaweau
And millions who do not.

There are also millions of Christians who do not work on Saturday. Seventh Day Baptists for example.

21 posted on 06/29/2023 8:25:50 AM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (Follow the money. Even if it leads you to someplace horrible it will still lead you to the truth.)
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear

The job applications for everyone, not just the Lost Office, ask “Are you willing to work weekends and holidays?”

No surprises there.


22 posted on 06/29/2023 8:28:40 AM PDT by Freedom4US
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To: Reno89519

Will Jews and Muslims be allowed to refuse to work on Saturdays and Fridays?


23 posted on 06/29/2023 8:29:58 AM PDT by JSM_Liberty
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To: Reno89519

Good. Let’s bring back the blue laws everything closed on Sundays. Life was so much better then.


24 posted on 06/29/2023 8:36:33 AM PDT by gcparent (God Bless America )
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To: ConservativeInPA

How about no? Not everyone views Sunday as the Sabbath. However, I don’t have any real objection to a non-critical business being required to have one day per week, owner’s choice, closed - or at least required to give an employee one day in seven off.


25 posted on 06/29/2023 8:36:45 AM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: gcparent

So, you want to screw over the Christian sects that don’t view the Sabbath as being on Sunday? Or the Jews? Way to go.

Also, the blue laws sucked and made most urban people’s lives worse. Please take off your rose tinted blinders.


26 posted on 06/29/2023 8:38:58 AM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: Freedom4US
Nope.

And if you put down that you will work Saturday and not Sunday (or vise versa) for religious reasons and you hire them you did so knowingly.

Back when I was a little cog in the Mega-Corp machine I had a few of these cases come up. I would always say that what you agreed to you agreed to. Had one boss who really wanted to break it so I sent all the data up to legal and they came back with, what you agreed to you agreed to.

This should not even had to get to SCOTUS. This was the industry standard.

27 posted on 06/29/2023 8:41:29 AM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (Follow the money. Even if it leads you to someplace horrible it will still lead you to the truth.)
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To: JSM_Liberty

They need similar accomodation, presuming members of the Islamic cult can accept and participate in our society. What about fake religions like Scientology and Kwanza?


28 posted on 06/29/2023 8:42:50 AM PDT by Reno89519 (DeSantis 2024. Successful Governor, Honorable Veteran, Respectful, Respected.)
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To: JSM_Liberty
If when you hired them they said that they could not work any certain day for religious reasons and you agreed by hiring them then you need to keep your word.

How is this complicated?

This is very basic contract law.

29 posted on 06/29/2023 8:44:39 AM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (Follow the money. Even if it leads you to someplace horrible it will still lead you to the truth.)
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To: Spktyr

I lived through it in the suburbs. It didn’t suck. You went to church and family dinner and spent time with family. You didn’t go to the mall. What’s urban have to do with it. It’s called family values.


30 posted on 06/29/2023 8:45:14 AM PDT by gcparent (God Bless America )
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear

USPS employees are not contractors to the USPS. It is called “employment at will”. That’s why it is a First Amendment “Freedom of Religion” case in the SCOTUS.


31 posted on 06/29/2023 8:52:29 AM PDT by jpp113
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To: Reno89519

Only if you work for the Federal, state or local Govt.


32 posted on 06/29/2023 8:53:09 AM PDT by jpp113
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To: Spktyr

I was referring to a time when there was far less government and there were no mandates. It’s always the choice of the business to be open any day of the week. I just prefer an American culture that expected businesses to be closed on Sundays, and I really like Wednesday afternoons off. Government’s sole responsibility is to create no law that establishes a State religion. (none of that babble about separation of church and state)


33 posted on 06/29/2023 8:54:59 AM PDT by ConservativeInPA (Delay Trump’s trial, delay. Elect Trump President. Trump pardons himself.)
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To: jpp113
No, it is basic contract law, what you agreed to when you hired them, you agreed to. You can fire them for any reason except the one where you agreed to make the exception. If they want to wear a pink hat and you agreed to let them wear a pink hat you can not change your mind three years down the road and fire them for wearing a pink hat.

You agreed to it.

34 posted on 06/29/2023 8:56:51 AM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (Follow the money. Even if it leads you to someplace horrible it will still lead you to the truth.)
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To: gcparent

So, I’m going to guess it was sometime in the 1950s, then? Yeah, sorry, by the 1980s and 1990s it was a large and increasing problem.


35 posted on 06/29/2023 8:59:00 AM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: Reno89519

What deal Amazon strip with the post office to get them to just deliver Amazon packages on Sundays. If it were me, mail be delivered Monday through Friday. It’s 2023, we don’t need USPS deliver on Saturdays or Sundays.


36 posted on 06/29/2023 9:06:29 AM PDT by matt04 ( )
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To: Reno89519

Does this affect the lack of accommodations for Covid vaccine?


37 posted on 06/29/2023 9:13:56 AM PDT by Raycpa
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear

Believe what you want, but contract law does not apply in an employment context unless the employee is actually a contracted worker with a contract in writing (Statute of Frauds requires this unless it is a temporary position for less than one year). You are talking about equitable principles, not law, equitable principles are not favored by courts. I appreciate your opinion but legally, as opposed to equitably, it is not sound.


38 posted on 06/29/2023 9:15:50 AM PDT by jpp113
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To: Reno89519

So an employee can on Saturday email the boss and say, “I am Christian and need to attend church Sunday morning and will not be working.”

On Thursday, the same employee can send the boss a email, “I have recently become a Muslim and cannot work on Friday.”

On Friday evening, the employee can email the boss, “Hey, this Muslim thing did not work out for me for this week and I have converted to Judaism, and got to go to Temple on Saturday.”


39 posted on 06/29/2023 9:17:10 AM PDT by Round Earther
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To: Round Earther

Ah, join a non-denominational organization and celebrate all of the “services”?


40 posted on 06/29/2023 9:21:31 AM PDT by Reno89519 (DeSantis 2024. Successful Governor, Honorable Veteran, Respectful, Respected.)
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