U.S. Supreme Court Decision In Groff V. DeJoy: Clarifying Religious Accommodations

Earlier today the United States Supreme Court released a unanimous opinion in Groff v. DeJoy, Postmaster General, No. 22-174, clarifying the "undue burden" standard under applicable to religious accommodations under Title VII after nearly 50 years. Specifically, the Court held that Title VII requires an employer who denies a religious accommodation to show that the burden of granting an accommodation would result in "substantial increased costs in relation to the conduct of its particular business." This raises the standard applicable from the previous, long established "more than a de minimis cost" standard. Going forward, employers must be aware of the heightened standard for defending against claims for religious discrimination involving failure to accommodate under Title VII.