One of the many freedoms that individuals in the United States enjoy is the freedom to practice or not practice a religion of their own choosing. A person may be raised in one faith as a child and later in life may choose to abandon it for another. The government cannot interfere with that right, and, as such, Minnesota residents are free to practice any religion they wish.
Despite this important freedom afforded by the First Amendment, many individuals have faced discrimination by their employers. Religious discrimination is prohibited in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but some employers still use their employees’ religion as a basis to deny them employment opportunities.
Under Title VII, employers cannot exclude individuals of a particular religious group from hiring events. Employers may not give individuals of particular faiths different work requirements or expectations, and they may not deny individuals employment opportunities if doing so would require the employer to offer the individual reasonable accommodations for their religious beliefs.
A person cannot be fired because of their religion, or denied a promotion simply because of the faith they have or do not have. When employers use religion as the grounds for taking employment actions, they may run afoul of the law. Employees who suffer employment discrimination from their prospective and actual employers may have rights to pursue claims against those who used their faith as bases for employment decisions. If you have faced workplace discrimination, you should speak with an attorney to discuss the possibility of making a claim.
