ADF defends FAA employee censored for expressing religious beliefs at work
ATLANTA — Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund have filed suit in defense of an FAA employee who was disciplined for expressing his religious beliefs and views on homosexual behavior at work.
“Religious employees, including those of the federal government, are not second-class citizens,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Kevin Theriot. “No government employer is permitted by the Constitution to silence speech in the workplace just because it expresses religious views.”
Larry Dombrowski, an FAA employee, was suspended without pay and transferred to a position in another state after he expressed his views on religion and homosexual behavior to his co-workers. Both co-workers stated they were not personally offended or threatened by the remarks.
After filing a grievance contesting the disciplinary actions filed against him, Dombrowski was informed during a meeting that he has “no free speech rights in the government workplace.”
“The First Amendment does not allow government employers to engage in viewpoint discrimination,” Theriot said. “Censoring and punishing an employee for expressing his opinion on religion violates the Constitution, a fact that should have been clear to the defendants in this case.”
ADF is a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation.