When Use of Artificial Intelligence Conflicts With Employees’ Sincerely Held Religious Beliefs (US)

“Call it the fault of civilization. God isn’t compatible with machinery …”

Or so Mustapha Mond warns John the Savage in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, but that tension is not confined to great works of literature. As businesses embrace generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace, a new trend is emerging: conscientious objectors requesting exemption from AI tools to accommodate their sincerely held moral views.

One may ask how AI intersects with religious observance, but prominent religious leaders … Read the rest

Federal Court Finds Employer Failed to Appreciate the Gravity of Employee’s Lunar Moon Religious Observation (US)

A recent decision from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Johnson v. York Academy Regional Charter School, reminds employers of their obligation to meaningfully participate in the process of identifying reasonable accommodation of their employees’ religious beliefs.

Monik Johnson was employed by a charter school as a business manager. Many years into her employment, Ms. Johnson began observing the Lunar Sabbath, which required her not to work on the day of the New Moon, which … Read the rest

Justices take up cases on religious tax exemption and California climate change mandate

Justices take up cases on religious tax exemption and California climate change mandate

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The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to review a decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court rejecting efforts by Catholic Charities to seek an exemption from the state’s unemployment tax. Catholic Charities contends that both it and the four agencies that operate under its umbrella qualify for the exemption because they are operated “primarily for religious purposes.” The group, which is controlled by the bishop of the diocese of Superior, says that the state supreme court’s contrary decision, which rested … Read the rest