News Release
For Immediate Release: 1.31.25
Contact: John Manning, media@firstliberty.org
Direct: 972-941-4453
Case of Mail Carrier Who Sued Postal Service and Won at U.S. Supreme Court Set for Trial
Gerald Groff lost his job after seeking religious accommodation to observe Sunday Sabbath, resulting in unanimous decision at Supreme Court.
Philadelphia, PA—The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania rejected the U.S. Postal Service’s (“USPS”) motion for summary judgement, ordering a trial for Gerald Groff, the former mail carrier who filed a lawsuit against USPS after he lost his job for observing the Sunday Sabbath. In 2023, in a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court of the United States granted a victory to Groff, strengthening legal protections for employees seeking religious accommodation, and remanded Groff’s case for reconsideration in light of the Court’s clarified legal standard.
You can read the decision here.
“The Supreme Court’s ruling is making a difference on the ground for real people. The trial court’s ruling is proof that courts are taking religious employees’ right to religious accommodations seriously – allowing more employees of faith to present their cases in court before a jury of their peers,” said Stephanie Taub, Senior Counsel for First Liberty Institute.
Aaron Streett, Partner at Baker Botts LLP said, “We are pleased the trial court took note of the evidence in our favor and are looking forward to trial. We anticipate the outcome at trial will be as favorable as our 9-0 win in this case against the government at the United States Supreme Court.”
Alan Reinach of the Church State Council said, “Employers who exclude persons of faith from the workplace cause real harm, as the Postal Service did to Gerald Groff. His only fault was worshipping God. Finally, some eight years later, Groff will get to tell his story to a jury.”
Randall Wenger of the Independence Law Center added, “The Groff decision has already been cited in nearly 300 other cases, and we are looking forward to the standard now being applied to protect Groff’s religious liberty at trial.”
Groff is represented by Baker Botts LLP, First Liberty Institute, the Church State Council, Cornerstone Law, and the Independence Law Center.
In 2023, in a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court strengthened legal protections for employees seeking religious accommodations, such as schedule changes to observe holy days. The far-reaching decision affects employment rights at every workplace with at least 15 employees in every state in the country.
The Court held that federal law requires workplaces to accommodate their religious employees unless doing so would cause substantial increased costs on the business. Previously, employers could avoid granting religious accommodations to employees of faith simply by pointing to trifling, minimal, or “de minimis” effects. This decision means that more employers will be legally required to respect their religious employees by granting them accommodations. Employees of faith often seek religious accommodations to honor their holy days, to take prayer breaks during the day, to dress according to their religious beliefs, or to otherwise not be forced to violate their religious beliefs on the job.
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About First Liberty Institute
First Liberty Institute is 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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