Quiz #95 Let's start talking about Groff v. DeJoy

In Groff v. DeJoy, 243 S.Ct. 2279 (2023), the Supreme Court was recently asked to address Title VII in the context of a former United States Postal Service (USPS) employee who, as an evangelical Christian, Sunday should be for worship and rest (not work).  The USPS disagreed and did not make a reasonable accommodation for him.  The worker filed suit and the District Court and later the Third Circuit ruled in favor of the USPS.  The Supreme Court in June 2023 issued its ruling on the appeal from the Third Circuit.  We know that the certain Justices are sometimes described as liberal or conservative.  We also have seen various instances in the past few years when certain Justices surprised folks by joining in the positions of others who are deemed ideologically different.  So that we can properly set the table for our Groff v. DeJoy discussion, which Justices were in the majority and which Justices dissented from the Supreme Court’s holding? 

 

(Scroll down for the answer)

 

Answer:  This is a bit of a trick question.  The Supreme Court unanimously reversed and ruled in favor of the former postal worker.  For the record, however, we should note that Justice Sotomayor filed a concurring opinion that was joined by Justice Jackson.  Groff v. DeJoy, 243 S.Ct. 2279 (2023) .  This unanimous ruling is important to keep in mind as we will be learning about what the Supreme Court said about Title VII and religious accommodations. 

 

Disclaimer: The Religion Law Quizzes are provided as a service to you. They are intended only for educational purposes. Nothing in the Quizzes is intended to be legal advice and they should not be relied upon as conclusive on any issue discussed therein.

 

HERE IS AN AI GENERATED SUMMARY OF TODAY’S PODCAST

 

Join host Michael Fielding in the 95th episode of the Religion Law Podcast, where we delve into the Supreme Court's 2023 decision in the Groff v. DeJoy case. This game-changing case, which revolves around religious freedom in the workplace, impacts countless individuals across the nation and provides fertile ground for thought-provoking discussions and learning.

In this interactive quiz episode, we discuss the case of a former United States Postal Service employee who, being an evangelical Christian, firmly believed that Sundays should be reserved for worship and rest, not work. When USPS did not reasonably accommodate his beliefs, he took the case to court, eventually reaching the Supreme Court.

We also explore the intriguing dynamics of the Supreme Court justices involved in the case. Who took a stand and who offered their dissenting opinions? You might be surprised to learn the unanimous verdict in favor of the former postal worker.

To further enhance our understanding of Groff v. DeJoy, we'll be reviewing the key facts of the case and unpacking the implications of a unanimous ruling from the Supreme Court. This remarkable unity amongst the justices underscores the weight of the verdict and sets the stage for our upcoming discussions on Title VII and religious accommodations.

So, are you ready for Quiz 96? Tune in to our next episode as we continue to educate and inspire with critical insights into religion law. Tune in, learn and enjoy. Remember, these quizzes should not be used as legal advice but are meant to provoke thought and foster a deeper understanding of religious freedom and law. Don't forget to share this episode with others and leave a review if you found it helpful.

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Welcome to another episode of the Religion Law Podcast, where you learn about
religious freedom and other religion law-related topics through a short question-and-answer format.
I'm your host, Michael Fielding.
Let's see how you do on today's quiz.
Welcome to Religion Law Quiz number 95. numero 95.

(00:25):
Okay, today, starting with quiz number 95 and then continuing all the way through
quiz 101, we are going to be talking about the Supreme Court's 2023 decision, Groff v.
DeJoy. And this decision is important because it actually has a really widespread

(00:46):
application to a whole lot lot of people because it deals with religious freedom and work.
And that's something that I hope you have, right? A job.
So let's dive into it. And hopefully as we go through these next seven quizzes,
you will find the concepts that we're going to be talking about to be enlightening

(01:07):
for you and educational.
So let's get started. So in Graffi de Joy, the Supreme Court was asked to address
Title VII in the context of a former United States Postal Service employee who,
as an evangelical Christian, Sundays should be for worship and rest, not work.
The USPS, United States Postal Service, disagreed and did not make a reasonable accommodation for him.

(01:33):
The worker filed suit and the district court and later the Third Circuit Court
of Appeals ruled in in favor of the Postal Service.
The Supreme Court in June of 2023 issued its ruling on the appeal from the Third Circuit.
Now, we know that certain justices are sometimes described as being liberal or conservative,

(01:56):
and we have also seen various instances in the past few years when certain justices
surprised folks by joining in the positions of others who are deemed ideologically different.
So, and just so that we can begin to set the table here for our Groff v.
DeJoy discussion, so for quid of 95 to 101,

(02:20):
the question for you is which justices were in the majority in the Supreme Court's
ruling, and which justices dissented from the Supreme Court's holding?
What do you think? All right, let's pause. We know that there are nine justices on the Supreme Court.
And my question for you is, who was in the majority and who dissented?

(02:45):
All right. What do you think? All right. We'll let you mull this one just for
a second. And I'm sure there's names that be popping out.
You know, there's Chief Justice Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Justice Kagan, Justice Sotomayor.
Anyway, there's others. Don't need to go through the big list. So what's the answer?
Well, the answer here is it's a bit of a trick question. The Supreme Court unanimously

(03:08):
reversed and ruled in favor of the former postal worker.
Now, for the record, we should note that Justice Sotomayor filed a concurring
opinion that was joined by Justice Jackson.
Jackson, this unanimous ruling is important to keep in mind as we will be learning
what the Supreme Court said about Title VII and religious accommodations in these coming quizzes.

(03:33):
So again, the key practical point here for today, actually there's two practical points.
One practical point, number one, is really the facts of the case.
You have an evangelical Christian, the USPS is not making an accommodation for
him because the postal worker wanted, he wanted to not work on Sunday.

(03:54):
And the USPS was like, yeah, sorry, tough luck. You need to do it.
So that's point number one. You have this religious accommodation question.
But then point number two is the Supreme Court in its ruling was unanimous.
You don't get like this big ideological divide that you often hear about in

(04:15):
the news on other really high-profile cases.
This is the Supreme Court speaking unanimously, which I think carries a lot
of weight as we now step into the next few quizzes talking about what it actually
held. All right. So did I get you interested?
Are you looking forward to number 96? We'll see. I'll see you on Religion and Law Quiz number 96.

(04:40):
Thank you for listening to today's episode. Remember, religion law quizzes are
for educational purposes only and are not intended to be relied upon as legal advice.
If you have found this episode to be helpful, please share it and leave a review.
Until we meet again, keep being an influence for others.
Music.