(The Center Square) – A former California fire chief has appealed the 9th Circuit’s decision on his firing to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Ron Hittle said he was terminated by the city of Stockton for religious discrimination after attending a nationally known leadership conference hosted at a church. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ultimately sided with the city in letting Hittle go after 24 years of service.
The three-judge panel said Hittle’s defense failed to prove Stockton’s religious discrimination and failed to disprove Stockton’s allegations of misconduct by Hittle that led to his firing.
First Liberty Institute, Baker Botts, and the Church State Council has now asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the decision.
“It is a tragic day for religious liberty in America when someone can be fired because they attend an event that includes religious perspectives,” Stephanie Taub, senior counsel at First Liberty Institute, said in a release. “The city showed extreme anti-religious bias and broke the law when it fired Chief Hittle. We are asking the Supreme Court to reverse the lower court’s decision and uphold the clear meaning of Title VII to protect all Americans in the workplace.”
Hittle said Stockton requested he attend a leadership training course of his choice, resulting in the former fire chief choosing the Global Leadership Summit held at Willow Creek Church. Speakers were secular and nonsecular.
“City of Stockton officials were completely intolerant of Chief Hittle’s religious beliefs,” said Aaron Streett of Baker Botts in a statement. “Federal law protects the freedom of every American to live without fear of being fired simply because of their beliefs.”
According to documents, Hittle’s character came into question in 2010 when an anonymous letter from an employee of the Stockton Fire Department described Hittle as a “corrupt, racist, lying, religious fanatic who should not be allowed to continue as the fire chief of Stockton,” who favored members of a Christian coalition in the department.
The city opened an investigation into Hittle, saying he had created the “Christian coalition” within the fire department, and was spending time outside of work with other Christian firefighters, as previously reported by The Center Square.
The documents show a decade-long struggle between the city and Hittle, as well as the connections between his religion and what he felt as pushback from two city employees.
In the fall of 2010, one of those city employees believed Hittle displayed a clear lack of leadership and management skills and directed Hittle “to find and attend a leadership training program.”
Hittle was asked to find a program intended for Fire Chiefs or at least designed for the upper management of public entities but specifically requested leadership training related to public sector service.
