A recent ruling by the highest court
in the State of Washington is being viewed as an important reminder of 1st
Amendment principles.
On January 25th, the Washington
Supreme Court ruled in favor of a former Spokane fire captain who was fired for
refusing to self-censor his religious expression. The court held that the Spokane Valley Fire
Department committed unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination when it
admonished and ultimately terminated Jonathan Sprague.
At issue were the department’s e-mail
and electronic bulletin board systems – forums that had been used by other
employees to seek babysitting and sell concert tickets, but that Sprague’s
supervisors had told him not to use to announce religious meetings. The department had also shared newsletters by
e-mail dealing with social topics like substance abuse and conflicts with
children, but Sprague’s attempts to share biblical perspectives on the same
topics got him fired.
“This is a terrific victory for
Captain Sprague and an important reminder of First Amendment principles,” says
attorney Brad Dacus of Pacific Justice Institute, whose organization was asked
to participate in the case as amicus and filed a friend-of-the-court brief. “No employee should be terminated for
speaking on otherwise-permissible topics at work just because he has a
religious perspective.”
According to Dacus, that is why
Sprague was fired. “[It wasn’t] because
he didn’t do a good job, but simply because he didn’t keep his faith to
himself,” Dacus elaborates, adding that that’s exactly why the court’s decision
is so important. “It sends a signal to
Christians working for government agencies all across America that if they are
fired or silenced simply because of a Christian biblical expression, that that’s
likely going to be unconstitutional under the First Amendment.”
Dacus adds that his group’s case load
reveals a “growing tension [and] hostility” toward individuals with a Christian
biblical worldview – and a desire to silence that worldview.
Rev.
Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain
(Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel
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