A debate over whether religious people are more legally entitled to weekend days off from work than non-religious people has arisen because of an evangelical Christian former mail carrier’s battle with the U.S. Postal Service over his refusal to work on Sundays

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A debate over whether religious people are more legally entitled to weekend days off from work than non-religious people has arisen because of an evangelical Christian former mail carrier’s battle with the U.S. Postal Service over his refusal to work on Sundays. The case gives the Supreme Court another opportunity to expand religious rights.

On Tuesday, the justices will hear arguments in Gerald Groff’s appeal of a lower court’s decision dismissing his claim of religious discrimination against the Postal Service for refusing to exempt him from working on Sundays, when he observes the Christian Sabbath. Gerald Groff is a former mail carrier in Pennsylvania.

Groff filed a lawsuit after being penalized for repeatedly failing to report for a Sunday work shift. With a 6-3 conservative majority, the court has a track record of expanding religious rights
in recent years, frequently siding with Christian plaintiffs. A ruling in Groff’s favor could make it more difficult for businesses to deny employees religious accommodations. “The whole point of religious accommodation is that you have to make special or favored arrangements in order to have an inclusive workforce,” one of Groff’s attorneys, Alan Reinach, explained. According to Michael Harper, an employment law expert at Boston University School of Law, a ruling in favor of Groff could “give a preference to the religious because they get to stay home on their Sabbath or their day of rest,” which would be denied to nonreligious people.

Submitted by Layla Davidson