Paul is an employee of a local government and is required to attend meetings of
ID: 464896 • Letter: P
Question
Paul is an employee of a local government and is required to attend meetings of the elected officials of the local government, but Paul is an atheist and objects to the Christian prayers that are always said at the beginning of the meeting. Therefore, Paul has asked his supervisor if he can join the meetings of local elected officials after the prayers are offered, but Paul’s supervisor has told Paul that out of respect for the elected officials, Paul must attend the entire meetings. Has Paul been discriminated against on the basis of his religion? Why, or why not?
Explanation / Answer
The recent Supreme Court ruling is that Christian prayers said before meetings of an Upstate New York town council did not violate the constitutional prohibition against government establishment of religion. This judgment does not prevent Paul an employee of the local government from seeking religious accommodation