Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to review a case in which jurors with conservative Christian beliefs were removed.
The case involved an employment discrimination lawsuit in which a person identified as LGBT.
SCOTUS asked to review state court’s decision to remove jurors with ‘conservative Christian’ beliefs https://t.co/7x3meHlAKO
— Bo Snerdley (@BoSnerdley) September 2, 2023
“Jurors can be excluded, of course, if their religious views in fact make them biased – just like jurors can be excluded if their race or sex in fact makes them biased,” the petition noted.
“But this Court’s precedents make clear that courts cannot assume, based on stereotypes about race or sex, that a person will be biased. The same should be true of religion," it added.
Missouri Attorney General asks U.S. Supreme Court to hear jury religious discrimination case https://t.co/yvMb4BtMUL
— KTTN ᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠᅠ (@KTTNRadio) September 1, 2023
“As Attorney General, I will protect the Constitution and Missourians’ right to be free from religious discrimination, which is explicitly enshrined in the Constitution,” Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said in a statement.
“The Constitution isn’t up for debate. My office will use every legal mechanism available to us to defend the fundamental right to be free from religious discrimination, inside and outside of the jury box.”
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey asked the Supreme Court this week to hear a case over disqualifying jurors based on their Christian beliefs, saying the Constitution doesn't support religious discrimination. https://t.co/QzTDsQxeuP
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) September 1, 2023
The request involved "a landmark case to support the fundamental freedom of religious liberty, Missouri Department of Corrections v. Jean Finney," Bailey shared.
"In this case, the court removed jurors from a case solely because they held Christian beliefs—even though the court explicitly found that the jurors were unbiased," it continued.
The case follows a concerning but growing trend in which conservative Christian values are being categorized as "extremist" by the left.
Similar changes have occurred within federal agencies, especially since Jan. 6, 2021, connecting Christian beliefs. Similar concerns have arisen with Christian groups being added to the SPLC's "hate map" as extremist groups in an effort to marginalize the organizations.
The latest case should be a major concern for all Americans as it shows that state courts are now sometimes looking at religious beliefs as the basis for jury selection, a controversial issue that stands at odds with the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.
