For 36 years, Kenny Mauer was a referee for the National Basketball Association (“NBA”), starting in the 1986-1987 season. Kenny has been a practicing Catholic for over 60 years, and by the time he was dismissed from the league, he was the third-longest tenured referee in NBA history. He officiated 19 NBA Finals games during his career.
When the NBA issued a Covid 19 vaccination mandate in 2021, Kenny requested a religious exemption, citing a conflict with his deeply held beliefs. As Kenny would later explain in a media interview, “Neither the NBA nor any human being nor any person in the world is going to change how I feel about our Lord Jesus Christ and how I feel about my faith and my religion.” His religious accommodation request was denied, however, because NBA management questioned and doubted the sincerity of his faith. This later led to his release from the NBA.
Despite the NBA’s mandate for league officials, players were not required to be vaccinated. The NBA quietly lifted its league-wide Covid 19 vaccine mandate for officials at the start of the 2022-2023 season, but Kenny was never reinstated.
First Liberty Institute is joining the legal team representing the former NBA referee.
In Groff v. DeJoy, the U.S. Supreme Court Justices ruled that an employer must prove that granting a religious accommodation results in a substantial increased cost in relation to their business operations, not just a minor or trivial expense.
“In a moment when it could have showed its commitment to religious freedom, the NBA fouled out,” said Cliff Martin, Senior Counsel for First Liberty. “The NBA’s forced retirement of one of its best and most respected officials was appalling and illegal. Players in the NBA must play by the rules. So should the league.”
News Release
For Immediate Release: 6.15.26
Contact: John Manning, media@firstliberty.org
Direct: 972-941-4453
First Liberty Joins Team Representing Former NBA Referee in Religious Accommodation Case
Ken Mauer was the third-most tenured NBA referee until the league denied his religious exemption request and fired him in 2022.
New York, NY—First Liberty Institute announced it joined the legal team representing former NBA referee Ken Mauer, who the league fired after it denied his religious exemption request from the league’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate. The league required the vaccine for all league officials but not players.
“In a moment when it could have showed its commitment to religious freedom, the NBA fouled out,” said Cliff Martin, Senior Counsel for First Liberty. “The NBA’s forced retirement of one of its best and most respected officials was appalling and illegal. Players in the NBA must play by the rules. So should the league.”
Ken Mauer was a referee for the National Basketball Association (“NBA”) for 36 years starting in the 1986-1987 season. When the NBA issued a Covid-19 vaccination mandate, Ken requested a religious exemption citing a conflict with his deeply held beliefs. The league denied his religious accommodation request after they questioned and doubted the sincerity of his faith. Mauer has been a practicing Catholic for over 60 years and in a previous news media interview, he emphatically stated, “Neither the NBA nor any human being nor any person in the world is going to change how I feel about our Lord Jesus Christ and how I feel about my faith and my religion.”
Despite the NBA’s vaccine mandate for league officials, it did not require the players to be vaccinated. The NBA officially lifted its league-wide Covid-19 vaccine mandate for league officials at the start of the 2022-2023 season, but it never reinstated Ken.
In Groff v. DeJoy, another First Liberty case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that an employer must prove that granting a religious accommodation results in a substantial increased cost in relation to their business operations, not just a minor or trivial expense.
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About First Liberty Institute
First Liberty Institute is a non-profit public interest law firm and the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans.
To arrange an interview, contact John Manning at media@firstliberty.org or by calling 972-941-4453.
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