The high court held oral arguments in the case of Greg Groff v. Louis DeJoy, which centered on a post office employee being ousted from his job because he refused to work on Sundays.
Groff argued that the punishment, which led to him quitting his job, violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, specifically the protections for religious freedom in the workplace.
Groff’s attorney, Aaron Streett, told the justices that the government’s test for “undue hardship” — a legal principle employers can use to deny basic federally protected accommodations — was faulty, as it did not adequately protect religious liberty.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked Streett if it was not an “undue hardship” for an employee to decide not to work on Sundays and religious holidays for a position that required such obligations.
Streett replied that there was no Sunday delivery service when Groff was first hired and that Groff’s work duties at the postal service did not specifically include working Sundays and holidays.
U.S. Secretary General Elizabeth Prelogar argued on the government’s behalf, claiming that Groff’s request for exemption from Sunday work was burdening his workplace.
Groff began working for the USPS in 2012, initially receiving an exemption from working on Sundays when the post offices where he worked began delivering packages on Sundays.