{"id":147,"date":"2011-05-04T10:01:33","date_gmt":"2011-05-04T14:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/?p=147"},"modified":"2011-05-02T16:19:00","modified_gmt":"2011-05-02T20:19:00","slug":"a-victory-for-conscience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/05\/a-victory-for-conscience.html","title":{"rendered":"A Victory for Conscience"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am pleased to report the successful resolution to a lawsuit we filed last year on behalf of our client, Edwin Graning.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Graning was a driver for the Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS), a transit company which provides transportation services to residents in nine Texas counties. Graning\u2019s primary duty at CARTS was to drive passengers to medical facilities.<\/p>\n

In January, 2010, Graning was assigned to drive a passenger to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Austin for an early morning appointment.<\/p>\n

Concerned that that the passenger was seeking to have an abortion, Graning, an ordained Christian minister, called his supervisor and told her that he could not undertake the assignment in good conscience.\u00a0 The supervisor responded by saying, \u201cthen you are resigning.\u201d\u00a0 Graning replied that he was not resigning; rather, that he \u201ccould not be a part of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Graning then received a call from a dispatcher.\u00a0 After telling the dispatcher that he could not conscientiously drive the passenger to Planned Parenthood, she instructed Graning to return the bus to the yard.<\/p>\n

Graning was then fired.<\/p>\n

Last summer, we sued CARTS in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.\u00a0 Our lawsuit is posted here<\/a>. \u00a0We alleged that firing Graning without even attempting to accommodate his religious beliefs was a violation of his rights under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.<\/p>\n

I am happy to tell you that the case has now been successfully resolved.\u00a0 After a period of legal discovery, CARTS has agreed to pay Graning an amount which we believe fairly compensates the financial losses Graning suffered as a result of being fired.<\/p>\n

This is not just a great resolution to Graning\u2019s case, it\u2019s an important victory for the rights of conscience everywhere.\u00a0 It sends the clear and unequivocal message that pro-life employees cannot be discriminated against based on their religious beliefs.\u00a0 It reminds employers that they cannot ignore or dismiss requests for religious accommodation by their employees.<\/p>\n

Since day one, the ACLJ has been committed to defending the conscience rights of Christians in both the public and private sectors.\u00a0 The successful resolution in this case is but one more example of where our commitment has made a significant difference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am pleased to report the successful resolution to a lawsuit we filed last year on behalf of our client, Edwin Graning.\u00a0 Graning was a driver for the Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS), a transit company which provides transportation services to residents in nine Texas counties. Graning\u2019s primary duty at CARTS was to drive…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,29,28],"tags":[750,743,751,749,33,32],"class_list":["post-147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faith","category-pro-life","category-rights-of-conscience","tag-abortion","tag-aclj","tag-planned-parenthood","tag-pro-life","tag-religious-accommodation","tag-texas"],"yoast_head":"\nA Victory for Conscience - Faith & Justice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/05\/a-victory-for-conscience.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Victory for Conscience - Faith & Justice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I am pleased to report the successful resolution to a lawsuit we filed last year on behalf of our client, Edwin Graning.\u00a0 Graning was a driver for the Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS), a transit company which provides transportation services to residents in nine Texas counties. Graning\u2019s primary duty at CARTS was to drive…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/05\/a-victory-for-conscience.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Faith & Justice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-05-04T14:01:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-05-02T20:19:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jay Sekulow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A Victory for Conscience - Faith & Justice","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/05\/a-victory-for-conscience.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A Victory for Conscience - Faith & Justice","og_description":"I am pleased to report the successful resolution to a lawsuit we filed last year on behalf of our client, Edwin Graning.\u00a0 Graning was a driver for the Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS), a transit company which provides transportation services to residents in nine Texas counties. Graning\u2019s primary duty at CARTS was to drive…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/05\/a-victory-for-conscience.html","og_site_name":"Faith & Justice","article_published_time":"2011-05-04T14:01:33+00:00","article_modified_time":"2011-05-02T20:19:00+00:00","author":"Jay Sekulow","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/05\/a-victory-for-conscience.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/05\/a-victory-for-conscience.html","name":"A Victory for Conscience - Faith & Justice","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/#website"},"datePublished":"2011-05-04T14:01:33+00:00","dateModified":"2011-05-02T20:19:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/#\/schema\/person\/fd4c384af0620d4b82ae09cf1d77bdb4"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/05\/a-victory-for-conscience.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/05\/a-victory-for-conscience.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/05\/a-victory-for-conscience.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A Victory for Conscience"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/","name":"Faith & Justice","description":"Jay Sekulow - ACLJ","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/#\/schema\/person\/fd4c384af0620d4b82ae09cf1d77bdb4","name":"Jay Sekulow","description":"Jay Sekulow is Chief Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a law firm and educational organization that focuses on constitutional law. He is also Chief Counsel of the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ). Jay Sekulow is one of the leading defenders of constitutional rights and religious liberties in the United States. Over the past 25 years, Jay Sekulow has amassed an unparalleled record of accomplishment, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court on 12 occasions. His aggressive litigation strategy before the Supreme Court has led to many landmark First Amendment victories. In his first case before the Supreme Court, Jews for Jesus, Jay Sekulow secured the right of religious groups to pass out tracks in airports. In Mergens, Jay Sekulow successfully protected the right of students to form Bible clubs and prayer groups on public school campuses. In Lamb\u2019s Chapel, Jay Sekulow cleared the way for churches to have equal access to public facilities in the same way that other groups are permitted to utilize those facilities. In the Bray and Operation Rescue cases, Jay Sekulow protected the free speech rights of pro-life advocates to be free from criminal prosecution for conveying their pro-life message. In McConnell v. FEC, Jay Sekulow protected the right of young people to engage in the political process by donating to the campaign of their choice. In Pleasant Grove, Jay Sekulow paved the way for governments to be able to display Ten Commandments monuments, and other monuments of their choosing, in public parks. Through the ACLJ, Jay Sekulow engages the political, legal, and cultural battles facing America today. He routinely works with Members of Congress, advising them on proposed legislation and representing them in critical legal matters. Jay Sekulow has also testified before Congress on the constitutionality of proposed legislation. Also, in addition to being a successful Supreme Court advocate, Jay Sekulow is a highly respected broadcaster. Jay Sekulow is the host of Jay Sekulow Live! which airs each weekday on over 850 radio stations nationwide, in addition Sirius and XM satellite radio. He brings insight and education to listeners daily through this national call-in radio program. He is also the host of the ACLJ This Week, the ACLJ\u2019s weekly television program. Jay Sekulow regularly appears on major media outlets, including FOX News, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC, where he is sought out for his vast experience in constitutional law and his unique insight into many of the pressing legal and political issues facing America today. He is frequently quoted in the nation's leading newspapers and often contributes opinion editorials to national publications. Jay Sekulow has also published numerous law review and other scholarly articles. Jay Sekulow has received numerous honors for his groundbreaking legal work in the area of free speech and religious liberties. The Legal Times has named Sekulow one of \u201cThe 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years\u201d and the National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \u201c100 Most Influential Lawyers\u201d in the United States. In addition, TIME Magazine listed Jay Sekulow as one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America. Jay Sekulow\u2019s legal work in defense of religious liberties and human rights extends beyond the United States, having founded the ECLJ in Strasbourg, France, which maintains consultative status with the United Nations. He has also opened offices in Pakistan, Africa, and Jerusalem, Israel. Jay Sekulow is a staunch defender of Israel, presenting arguments before the International Criminal Court at the Hague. His efforts in support of Israel\u2019s right to defend itself from terrorist attacks have been commended by Israeli government officials, one official stating, \"Jay was instrumentally-involved in projects that the President of Israel and the Prime Minister put on our national agenda.\" Jay Sekulow also has a passion for educating the next generation of religious liberty advocates. He is a member of the Regent University Law School Faculty as a Distinguished Professor of Law and routinely teaches courses on constitutional law and presents guest lectures. Jay Sekulow has also started educational programs in international human rights law in Strasbourg, France and at Handong University in South Korea. Jay Sekulow is a graduate of Mercer University, earning both a bachelor\u2019s degree and doctor of jurisprudence. Sekulow served on the editorial staff of the Mercer Law Review and graduated cum laude. He later earned a Ph.D. from Regent University, writing his dissertation on American Legal History. Jay Sekulow also serves on the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, D.C. Jay Sekulow, ACLJ Chief Counsels full biography and video. Jay Sekulow on Facebook. Jay Sekulow on Twitter. Jay Sekulow on YouTube.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/author\/jay_sekulow"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":152,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147\/revisions\/152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}