Estate of Thornton v. Caldor, Inc.
Supreme Court of the United States
472 U.S. 703 (1985)
Relevant factsFree
After the state repealed its Sunday closing laws, Caldor (defendant) began requiring Presbyterian employee Thornton (plaintiff) to work every third or fourth Sunday, his chosen Sabbath, and demoted him from management to a clerical position when he refused, prompting his grievance under a state law giving employees an absolute right to refuse work on their chosen Sabbath without termination; the State Board ordered Thornton reinstated, but the state supreme court ultimately invalidated the underlying Sabbath law.
IssueFree
Whether a state law providing an individual with the absolute right not to work on the individual's chosen Sabbath day violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
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