by Jorge Gomez • 3 minutes
First Liberty took an important step forward this week in our Alaska Airlines case involving Lacey Smith and Marli Brown, the two flight attendants who were fired for their religious beliefs.
Alaska Airlines terminated our clients for posting concerns on an internal company website about the “Equality Act” and its impact on women and people of faith. The company invited questions and welcomed diverse views, but then fired Marli and Lacey for their comments. We’ve been fighting in court since May 2022, when we filed suit against Alaska Airlines.
Along with volunteer attorneys at Holtzman Vogel Baran Torchinsky & Josefiak, we filed a brief on Wednesday asking the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a lower court decision against our clients.
In May, a federal district court handed down an alarming ruling that deprived our clients of their chance to prove their case before a jury. The court ignored overwhelming evidence of religious discrimination to rule in favor of Alaska Airlines and the flight attendants union.
If that lower court opinion stands, it would empower employers to punish employees simply for expressing their religious beliefs. It would give businesses leeway to discriminate against employees who hold religious beliefs about the nature of male and female or the need to protect women’s spaces, if done in the name of protecting other employees from hearing ideas that they find offensive.
“Americans are being fired for their religious beliefs, and it is chilling that a court of law would condone this. We are asking the Ninth Circuit to reverse the lower court’s decision,” said First Liberty Senior Counsel Stephanie Taub. “Disregarding federal civil rights laws that protect people of faith from discrimination, Alaska Airlines canceled our clients and the flight attendants’ union betrayed their trust.”
Our brief explains that the lower court ruling was wrong because a reasonable jury would “conclude that Alaska Airlines fired Brown and Smith because of… their religious beliefs, practice, or observance.” Our argument is supported by a vast amount of evidence showing how Alaska Airlines discriminates against religious employees, which is illegal under federal law. We pointed out in detail how the company created a hostile work environment for employees of faith.
We’re going to continue to fight for our clients until Alaska Airlines and the Association of Flight Attendants are held accountable, and employees are safe from discrimination.
Going up against a corporate giant like Alaska Airlines in federal appeals court is no easy task. These companies have huge war chests and millions at their disposal to drag on these fights with their former employees. The only way First Liberty can take on woke corporations is with your continued support.
By helping us win for Lacey and Marli, you could have an enormous impact for religious liberty in the workplace. People of faith in our country are facing religious discrimination in this hostile cancel culture environment.
Lacey and Marli can’t do this alone. They need your help to win their case. Can they count on you?
Learn More:
Alaska Airlines Was Once a Company that Really Believed in Religious Inclusion
Alaska Airlines Really Dislikes Religious Employees, Court Brief Argues
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