News JW v. Supreme Court: Unemployment Compensation for Religious Convictions?

[Soaring Crane]

JW in 1981 asked the Supreme Court to rule whether he was entitled to unemployment compensation. JW had worked for a machinery company and quit when his old job was eliminated, and he was transferred to fabricating gun turrets for tanks. He claimed religious convictions prevented him from working on war materials.

Does anyone recall the name of this case? I can't find it.

Thanks.

 

[Astronuc]

U.S. Supreme Court's Decision of April 6, 1981, in Thomas v. Review Board of the Indiana Employment Security Division; Religious Beliefs as Good Cause for Voluntary Quit

Re: Eddie C. Thomas

http://workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/dmstree/uipl/uipl81/uipl_2781.htm

 

[Soaring Crane]

Did you just know this case or was there a particular search method that you used to go through the cases?

Thanks again!

 

[Astronuc]

I vaguely remembered the case - but I used an effective google search with

"Jehovah's Witness","Supreme Court","military","1981" - I put that in the seach engine directly like that.

One has to be very specific when "looking for needles in a hay stack".

Quakers, Jehovah's Witnesses, and some other religious groups can obtain Conscientious Objector Status because they have a history of opposion war.

 

[Soaring Crane]

This is another case that I'm having trouble with.

President Carter in 1980 withdrew the US from the Olympics in protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In 1981, irate athletes appealed to the Supreme Court for redress against a decision that denied them the right to earn a gold medal.

I tried searching with "1981", "Supreme Court", "Olympic athletes", and "redress," but I didn't come up with the case's name. By the way, was this withdrawal an executive action?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Astronuc]

Carter made the decision to boycott the 1980 Olympics, so it was an "executive decision". However, I could not find the case in the Supreme Court. Are you sure that it got to the Supreme Court? They may have dismissed it.

I think Reagan had some involvement in this during 1981. He apparently had several reversals for and against the boycott, but apparently decided in favor of President Carter's position.

 

[Soaring Crane]

This is a case the Court rejected, but so was Tileston v. Ullman.