Groff, a Christian mail carrier based in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, had sought legal relief after being asked to deliver parcels from Amazon on Sundays, a day he observes as the Sabbath.
The contractual obligation to deliver Amazon packages on Sundays presented a moral conflict for Groff, compelling him to seek judicial clarification on whether he could be required to work on the day he dedicates to religious observance.
Represented by attorney Aaron Streett, Groff’s legal argument centered on overturning a precedent set nearly fifty years ago.
Streett contended that the 1977 Supreme Court decision in Trans World Airlines v. Hardison had imposed an overly lenient standard allowing employers to deny religious accommodations with minimal justification.
That ruling, which interpreted Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, permitted businesses to refuse religious accommodations whenever granting them would impose more than a de minimis, or minimal, cost.
Streett argued that lower courts had consistently applied this standard incorrectly, effectively leaving religious employees with a daily, untenable choice between observing their faith and maintaining their employment.
Title VII explicitly requires employers to accommodate the religious practices of employees unless doing so would cause an “undue hardship” to the business. Continue reading…
