(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) In a major victory for religious liberty, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Gerald Groff, a dedicated postal officer worker who had been targeted and reprimanded for requesting to refrain from working on Sundays due to his religious beliefs.
The Court, in a unanimous decision in Groff v. DeJoy, effectively overturned a prior ruling by a lower court, marking a momentous milestone in the protection of religious freedoms.
According to CBS News, the Court refused to overrule a 1977 case that allowed businesses to reject religious accommodations if the request placed an alleged “de minimis” (minimal) cost to the business.
The ruling, however, offered new guidance to courts on how to determine whether rejections violated the First Amendment.
Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, highlighted the importance of considering the substantiality of the burden on an employer when evaluating accommodation requests.
Alito said, “We think it is enough to say that an employer must show that the burden of granting an accommodation would result in substantial increased costs in relation to the conduct of its particular business.”
Upon the release of the decisions, several Republican leaders from Congress expressed their delight and applauded the Supreme Court’s decision. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a staunch advocate for religious freedoms, celebrated the decision.
In a statement obtained by Headline USA, Cruz said, “This decision is not only a victory for our ‘first freedom,’ but is also an important check on future efforts by the federal government to trample the religious rights of federal workers. With today’s decision, religious liberty has prevailed once again.”
Cruz’s remarks were echoed by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who took to Twitter to call the decision, a “huge victory for religious liberty.” Specifically, Rubio said, “The Supreme Court unanimously agrees that Gerald Groff, a Christian postal worker, cannot be forced to work on Sundays. Commonsense is slowly returning.”
A huge victory for religious liberty.
The Supreme Court unanimously agrees that Gerald Groff, a Christian postal worker, cannot be forced to work on Sundays.
Commonsense is slowly returning. #GroffvDejoyhttps://t.co/EgpCiCXOTO
— Senator Marco Rubio (@SenMarcoRubio) June 29, 2023
Similarly, Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., announced he led a delegation of congressional leaders to support the case. He said, “Earlier this year, I led 13 Republican members of the House and Senate in a brief urging the Supreme Court to protect the religious liberties of employees as Congress originally intended.”
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who was part of that delegation, celebrated the decision, sharing his amicus brief on Twitter.
🧵 I signed an amicus brief in support of Groff, the Christian mailman who refused to violate his faith. Read below👇https://t.co/8CUmHgrZK5
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) June 29, 2023
This is a great step forward for individual religious liberties in the workplace.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) June 29, 2023
