Supreme Court declines to hear appeal from Christian fire chief who wanted to make it easier to sue for discrimination

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the appeal of a California fire chief who claimed he lost his job because of his Christian faith, a case that could have made it easier for Americans to win discrimination lawsuits against employers.

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the appeal of a California fire chief who claimed he lost his job because of his Christian faith, a case that could have made it easier for Americans to win discrimination lawsuits against employers. Ronald Hittle, a 24-year veteran of the fire department in Stockton, California, said he was fired after attending a two-day Christian conference on city time. The city countered that Hittle had been instructed to attend a “leadership” conference and told the high court in a brief that the chief had a long history of disobeying direction from superiors. Two conservative justices – Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch – dissented from the decision to deny the case. Represented in part by the First Liberty Institute, which has filed several successful religious claims at the Supreme Court in recent years, Hittle asked the Supreme Court to toss out a 1973 precedent, McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, that has for decades dictated how discrimination claims are reviewed in federal courts. Thomas wrote the precedent targeted by the case was “producing troubling outcomes on the ground.” “I am not aware of many precedents that have caused more confusion than this one,” he added.