Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, No. 22-15485
Case status: Ongoing
Center involvement: Amicus Curiae
Date of filing: September 15, 2023

The City of Stockton, California, terminated Fire Chief Ron Hittle after 24 years of service when he attended a leadership conference at a church. The following investigation and termination notice focused on the fact that the conference was allegedly a “religious” event. Yet, when Chief Hittle sought Title VII’s protection, the Ninth Circuit panel rejected his discrimination claim, citing his employers’ “concerns” about the “perceptions” of Chief Hittle’s non-religious coworkers. The Center filed this friend of the court brief to ask the Ninth Circuit to grant Chief Hittle’s petition for rehearing en banc and hold that neither the Constitution nor Title VII permit animus towards religion to motivate the government’s censorship of religious activity in the workplace.

Court Filings:
Link to Brief of Amicus Curiae Robertson Center for Constitutional Law in Support of Petition for Rehearing En Banc