Religion at Work: A Conflict of Rights - Part I: The Scope of Religion

The term religion appears in U.S. law in a variety of contexts, ranging from the First Amendment to the Military Selective Service Act to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. This session will discuss the U.S. legal understanding of the term "religion" and how it has evolved. This session will place particular emphasis on the understanding of the term "religion" under Title VII, given the 2023 United States Supreme Court decision in Groff v. DeJoy, which has placed new emphasis on the scope of the term.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Discuss how the law's understanding of "religion" has changed over time
2. Predict how the Supreme Court's decision in Groff v. DeJoy, which raised the standard for denying religious accommodations in the workplace affects litigation over the scope of the term under Title VII
3. Identify the common characteristics of "religion" for purposes of Title VII