A New York public defender is facing punishment for having a Bible on his office desk.
The American Center for Law and Justice is represented the unnamed attorney.
“The notion that a Bible placed quietly on a desk constitutes some kind of coercive government endorsement of religion is not only absurd – it is legally indefensible,” the ACLJ said in a statement. “The Establishment Clause was never intended to be weaponized against people of faith.”
The trouble started when a fellow staffer barged into his office and demanded the Bible be removed. The public defender said such a request would have to be made in writing.
That did not happen. Instead, a supervisor stormed into the office, picked up the Bible and demanded that it be removed.
ACLJ’s client filed for a religious accommodation under the Civil Rights Act.
Shortly thereafter the public defender received a written warning about performance deficiencies and claims that his conduct had been unduly disruptive.
On March 6, our client received a written warning citing vague “performance deficiencies” and claiming that his conduct had been “unduly disruptive.” The warning included a directive to “refrain from having any Bible or religious text open and visible” when meeting with clients or even fellow staff members – despite there being no actual disruption, client complaint, or violation of professional standards.
The warning also included a directive to refrain from having any Bible or religious text open and visible when meeting with clients or fellow staffers.
For the record – the Constitution does not require the government to scrub religious expression from public workspaces.
“This is not just about one Bible or one employee, ACLJ said in a statement. “This is about ensuring that every American – regardless of faith – can work without fear of discrimination or censorship. Our laws and our Constitution are clear: Religious liberty is not a privilege but a right. A right that we will continue to defend in every workplace and at every level of government.”
ACLJ says they will not stand down until their client receives justice.
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