OKLAHOMA CITY (June 29, 2023) – Attorney General Gentner Drummond praised today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in Groff v. DeJoy, a case affirming religious freedoms in the workplace. Oklahoma had filed two amicus briefs in favor of Gerald Groff, a former mailman who had declined to make deliveries on Sundays.
“I am pleased by the Supreme Court’s resounding affirmation of religious liberty,” said Drummond. “This unanimous decision emphasizes that Americans of all faiths have a Constitutional right to live and work according to their religious beliefs.”
As an evangelical Christian, Groff indicated to his U.S. Postal Service (USPS) bosses that he reserved Sundays for worship and rest. USPS refused to accommodate the postal carrier. He eventually resigned and sued the agency under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, asserting that USPS could have accommodated his request.
The Court ruled 9-0 in Groff’s favor, holding that Title VII requires employers who deny a religious accommodation to show that the burden of granting the request would result in substantial increased business costs.