• Investing
  • Stock
Round Table Thoughts
  • Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Home Editor's Pick Southwest Airlines appeals order requiring its lawyers to take ‘religious liberty training’
Editor's Pick

Southwest Airlines appeals order requiring its lawyers to take ‘religious liberty training’

by August 10, 2023
by August 10, 2023 0 comment
Share
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsapp

Southwest Airlines on Tuesday said it will appeal a Texas federal judge’s unusual order requiring three of its senior lawyers to attend “religious liberty training” by a prominent conservative Christian legal group.

The airline in a statement confirmed that it would file an appeal one day after U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr said the lawyers had undermined his earlier ruling in a religious bias case by Southwest flight attendant Charlene Carter.

Starr said that instead of notifying employees of their rights against religious discrimination, as he had ordered Southwest to do, the lawyers penned a memo warning workers not to violate the company policy that led it to fire Carter.

Carter says she was fired for criticizing her union’s decision to participate in the 2017 Women’s March, a nationwide protest following the inauguration of former President Donald Trump, because Planned Parenthood was a sponsor. Carter has said she is a Christian who opposes abortion.

Starr, a Trump appointee, gave the lawyers until Aug. 28 to attend an eight-hour training conducted by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which is routinely involved in high-profile court cases on abortion and religious liberties.

ADF has spearheaded efforts to restrict the availability of abortion pill mifepristone and helped draft a Mississippi abortion ban upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in its June 2022 ruling eliminating women’s constitutional right to abortion.

Southwest in its statement did not elaborate on the basis for its appeal.

Carter is represented by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, a conservative worker advocacy group. Mark Mix, the group’s president, said Monday’s ruling “shuts down Southwest Airlines’ bald-faced attempt to dodge its responsibility to inform flight attendants of its wrongdoing.”

Judges often require employers to take steps to remedy discriminatory conduct, such as training workers and adopting new policies, but it is unusual for them to order company officials to undergo training conducted by specific groups. Starr cited older rulings requiring lawyers to attend continuing education or ethics training.

The ruling may be unprecedented, and the choice of ADF to conduct the training is troubling given its history of advocating a conservative Christian viewpoint, according to David Lopez, who was general counsel of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) during the Obama administration.

That could interfere with the lawyers’ constitutional rights, he said, especially if they practice other religions.

“The court is moving into some really dangerous territory here,” said Lopez, who is now a law professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

But Andrea Lucas, a current EEOC commissioner appointed by Trump, said the case highlighted that many companies view workers’ religious liberty as an afterthought.

“Companies and their lawyers should take findings of religious discrimination as seriously as discrimination based on race (or) sex,” Lucas said.

ADF’s chief legal counsel, Jim Campbell, said the group was “happy to help” by providing training on laws barring religious discrimination.

“Every company should respect religious liberty and diverse viewpoints in the workplace,” Campbell said in a statement.

Southwest has maintained that Carter was fired for harassing coworkers about the Women’s March on social media in violation of a company “civility policy.”

A jury last year found that Southwest and Carter’s union had engaged in religious discrimination. Starr ordered them to pay Carter more than $800,000 and reinstate her to her job.

Southwest and the union are appealing that decision, which also required the airline to notify employees of their right to express their religious views on social media.

Starr on Monday said Southwest flouted that order by instead telling employees that “the court ordered us to inform you that Southwest does not discriminate against our employees for their religious practices and beliefs.”

Southwest in a memo drafted by the three lawyers — Kerrie Forbes, Kevin Minchey, and Chris Maberry — also defended Carter’s firing and said it would continue enforcing its social media policy.

Reuters reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Reuters editing by Deepa Babington and Jonathan Oatis

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
You Might Also Like
  • 5G IoT Device Market Outlook, Chipset trend
  • U.S. consumer sentiment falls slightly as outlook for inflation worsens
  • Disney posts mixed results for quarter plagued by streaming woes, restructuring costs
  • Trump’s deals to sell Bibles, sneakers and perfume are unprecedented for a presidential candidate, experts say
Share
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsapp

previous post
Florida mayor accused of racism during exchange with Hispanic commissioner, later apologizes
next post
Credit card balances jump and are above $1 trillion for the first time

You may also like

McDonald’s exec says average menu item costs 40% more than...

May 31, 2024

Millions of college students in limbo after aid application information...

February 1, 2024

GM union workers ratify UAW deal following contentious vote

November 18, 2023

31 percent of all IoT SIMs were managed with third-party...

December 25, 2022

Stellantis CEO says $25,000 Jeep EV coming to the U.S....

May 30, 2024

U.S. foreign tax bill sends jitters across Wall Street

May 30, 2025

Target pulls some Pride collection items after threats to employees

May 26, 2023

S&P downgrades multiple U.S. banks on growing liquidity worries

August 23, 2023

Outcome of Hollywood actors’ contract vote could be close amid...

December 5, 2023

Retailers scramble to move billions in cargo as East Coast...

September 30, 2024

    Stay updated with the latest news, exclusive offers, and special promotions. Sign up now and be the first to know! As a member, you'll receive curated content, insider tips, and invitations to exclusive events. Don't miss out on being part of something special.


    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • How to Find Compelling Charts in Every Sector

      July 10, 2025
    • White House accuses Powell of mismanaging Federal Reserve, citing headquarters renovation

      July 10, 2025
    • Italian chocolate giant Ferrero to buy Kellogg’s Froot Loops maker

      July 10, 2025
    • OpenAI to release web browser in challenge to Google Chrome

      July 10, 2025
    • Sports executive charged with bid-rigging in Texas arena project

      July 10, 2025

    Popular Posts

    • 1

      Biden appointee played key role in recruiting Chinese...

      June 25, 2024 3,631 views
    • 2

      Trump-era China sanctions ended by Biden may be...

      June 27, 2024 2,919 views
    • 3

      Walz’s honeymoon with China gets fresh scrutiny as...

      August 9, 2024 2,607 views
    • 4

      Shein’s global ambitions leaves some cybersecurity experts fearful...

      July 10, 2024 2,577 views
    • 5

      Harris VP pick spent years promoting research facility...

      August 29, 2024 2,451 views

    Categories

    • Economy (7,009)
    • Editor's Pick (2,171)
    • Investing (538)
    • Stock (2,662)

    Popular Posts

    • 1

      Biden appointee played key role in recruiting Chinese businesses to Delaware: ‘Longtime friends’

      June 25, 2024
    • 2

      Trump-era China sanctions ended by Biden may be revived under new House GOP bill

      June 27, 2024
    • 3

      Walz’s honeymoon with China gets fresh scrutiny as Harris camp blasts ‘lying’ critics

      August 9, 2024
    • 4

      Shein’s global ambitions leaves some cybersecurity experts fearful of Chinese spy threats

      July 10, 2024
    • 5

      Harris VP pick spent years promoting research facility that collaborated with ‘Chinese military company’

      August 29, 2024

    Latest News

    • How to Find Compelling Charts in Every Sector

      July 10, 2025
    • White House accuses Powell of mismanaging Federal Reserve, citing headquarters...

      July 10, 2025
    • Italian chocolate giant Ferrero to buy Kellogg’s Froot Loops maker

      July 10, 2025

    Categories

    • Economy (7,009)
    • Editor's Pick (2,171)
    • Investing (538)
    • Stock (2,662)

    Disclaimer: RoundTableThoughts.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2024 RoundTableThoughts.com. All Rights Reserved.

    Round Table Thoughts
    • Investing
    • Stock
    Round Table Thoughts
    • Economy
    • Editor’s Pick

    Read alsox

    Grubhub lays off 15% of corporate...

    June 14, 2023

    Abortion bans and anti-LGBTQ laws are...

    October 22, 2023

    Walgreens CEO Roz Brewer steps down...

    September 6, 2023
    Sign In

    Keep me signed in until I sign out

    Forgot your password?

    Password Recovery

    A new password will be emailed to you.

    Have received a new password? Login here