Court Review of Sunday Observer Case May Have Implications for Sabbath Observers

The United States Supreme Court agreed yesterday to review the question of whether an employer can dismiss a worker who refuses to work on a certain day or at certain times because to do so would violate his religious practices. The case under review, Dewey vs. Reynolds Metal Co., involves Robert Dewey, a member of a Protestant sect, who was fired because he refused to work on Sunday. The U.S. Court of Appeals in Detroit, Mich, had ruled against Dewey, a resident of Grand Rapids. His court action was handled by the National Jewish Commission on Law and Public Affairs (COLPA). The brief requesting the Supreme Court to review the lower court’s decision was written by Nathan Lewin, of Washington, D.C., vice president of COLPA. Lewin will present a brief on the merits of the case before the Supreme Court. According to Lewin, the Dewey case has important implications for all Sabbath observers including many Orthodox Jews.