News Release
For Immediate Release: 10.5.26
Contact: Natalie Konstans, media@firstliberty.org
Direct: 972-941-4454
U.S. Supreme Court Declines Case Involving Firefighters Denied Religious Accommodation
The Ninth Circuit decision allowing fire department to refuse religious accommodation will not be reviewed by the court.
Washington, D.C.—The Supreme Court of the United States declined to review a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit finding that the Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue (“SRFR”) can refuse religious accommodation to eight firefighters known as the Snohomish Eight.
“Washington can celebrate today that it has taken away the religious liberty rights of our clients,” said First Liberty Senior Counsel Cliff Martin. “But government officials should take notice that we will always fight for employees of faith to have equal opportunities in the workplace. We will fight until every employee has access to religious accommodations.”
Eight firefighters working at Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue requested a religious accommodation from the COVID-19 vaccination mandate due to their sincere religious beliefs. SRFR rejected their request, although the firefighters submitted to various risk mitigation measures; all eight men were left unaccommodated. They were placed on unpaid leave and forced to find other jobs with neighboring fire departments in and out of Snohomish County; none of these other fire stations had issues accommodating the men. Moreover, vaccinated SRFR firefighters continued to engage in mutual-aid scenarios where they worked shoulder to shoulder with unvaccinated responders. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that accommodating the firefighters’ vaccine exemption requests would have imposed significant health, safety, and operational costs on SRFR.
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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 Natalie Konstans at media@firstliberty.org or by calling 972-941-4454.
