First Liberty




Today, First Liberty, along with our friends at Baker Botts LLP and
the Church State Council, asked a federal appeals court to reverse a
decision that allowed the city of Stockton California Fire Department
to dismiss fire chief Ron Hittle for attending a leadership conference
held at a church.

The brief, filed at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit,
highlights the discriminatory response that the city of Stockton had
to Hittle's attendance at Willow Creek Church's Global
Leadership Summit, a world-class conference.

Although the city requested Hittle attend a leadership training
course, it later opened an investigation when he attended one that
happened to be hosted by a church.

Speakers in attendance included a variety of religious and
non-religious backgrounds, such as:

* Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric
* Terri Kelly, president and CEO of W.L. Gore and Associates
* Tony Dungy, winning coach of 2007 Super Bowl
* Zhao Xiao, Ph.D., leading Chinese economist

In the past, other prominent speakers for this conference also
included Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook and former President Bill
Clinton.

After 24 years of faithful service, Fire Chief Ron Hittle was fired
because of his attendance at this alleged "religious
event" while on duty. Hittle sued, but in March of this year, a
federal district court sided with the city.

Clearly, city officials overreacted and targeted Hittle. There were
steps short of termination that the city could have taken, such as
requesting that his attendance be charged as personal leave. In fact,
others who attended the Summit with Hittle were allowed this
accommodation rather than being fired.

People of faith like Ron Hittle should not lose their job because of
religious bigotry by government officials. In fact, federal law
protects all Americans' rights to live and work according to their
beliefs.

Yet, the Stockton Fire Department's drastic course of action
against Ron Hittle highlights the intolerance and discrimination that
people of faith continue to experience at work.

That's why First Liberty is committed to fighting for Fire Chief
Ron Hittle along with the countless others who are being discriminated
against in the workplace because of their beliefs.



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