Fired California fire chief appeals to US Supreme Court – News

by Jorge Gomez • 2 minutes

This week, First Liberty appealed our case to the U.S. Supreme Court involving Fire Chief Ron Hittle, who was fired for attending a leadership conference at a church.

We are asking the Supreme Court to hear the case and overturn a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which sided with the city of Stockton, California in firing Chief Hittle. We also call on the highest court in the land to uphold the clear meaning of Title VII to protect all Americans in the workplace.

Chief Hittle served Stockton for 24 years. Before becoming fire chief, he protected the lives and property of his community as a firefighter.

In 2010, Chief Hittle’s boss asked him to attend leadership training. He chose the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit, a renowned seminar with top speakers from different backgrounds and worldviews. He invited three employees to join him and entered his presence on the city calendar so his superiors would be aware. Stockton was facing a budget deficit and firefighters were paying from their own funds.

Chief Hittle told his superiors it was the best leadership training he had ever taken and that it had been extremely beneficial to his career. But they said it was unacceptable for him to attend a seminar with Christian followers.

It’s not every day that an employer makes it clear that they fired an employee because of their religious beliefs and activities. But that’s exactly what happened to Chief Hittle.

City officials confronted him with a list of ten “charges.” The first five were all related to his religious beliefs and activities. The city even admitted that the main reasons for his firing were that he attended the “religious event” and allowed others to attend.

“I will drag your name through the mud,” the city manager told Hittle if he did not agree to a demotion. They also threatened Chief Hittle with an investigation that would be “embarrassing to you and your family” and even said “your reputation will suffer irreparable harm.” Another supervisor denigrated Hittle and other Christians in the office as a “Christian coalition” and a “church clique.”

After months of investigation, the city fired Chief Hittle. He sued for religious discrimination and fought in federal court for more than a decade. He had to accept numerous setbacks. But this fire chief isn’t giving up. And neither does First Liberty. We will continue to fight until Chief Hittle’s rights are enforced and the City of Stockton is held accountable for its discrimination.

“It is a tragic day for religious freedom in America when someone can be fired for attending an event that includes religious perspectives,” said Stephanie Taub, senior counsel at First Liberty. “The city demonstrated extreme anti-religious bias and broke the law when it fired Chief Hittle.”

What happened to Chief Hittle was wrong. We are taking this case to the Supreme Court because federal law protects against religious discrimination and harassment in the workplace. It is illegal for an employer to fire or take adverse action against employees based on their religion.

In this case, however, it’s not just about a single firefighter. It impacts the rights and protections of every person in the workplace. In today’s cancel culture, many Americans are forced to choose between their faith and their livelihood. Our country’s laws protect people of faith so they should not have to make this choice. A victory for Chief Hittle would be a victory for millions of Americans.