Supreme Court to weigh case of former postal worker who refused to work on Sundays

Washington — The Supreme Court is set to consider Tuesday the plight of a Christian former postal worker who alleges the agency violated a federal civil rights law when it failed to accommodate his religious beliefs.

The legal dispute is the latest to come before the justices involving religious groups and individuals who are seeking relief from the conservative court. A decision from the Supreme Court in favor of the former U.S. Postal Service employee, Gerald Groff, would be the latest in a string of rulings expanding religious rights.

Already this term, the court heard arguments in a case involving a Christian graphic designer who does not want to create websites for same-sex weddings, and last year, it sided with a former high school football coach punished for praying on the field after games. In June, the Supreme Court said that schools that provide religious instruction cannot be excluded from a tuition assistance program offered by the state of Maine, and in 2021 it ruled in favor of a Catholic foster care agency in Philadelphia that refused to work with same-sex couples looking to serve as foster parents.