The US Supreme Court is set to hear an appeal by Gerald Groff, a former Pennsylvania mail carrier, who is claiming religious discrimination after being disciplined by the

Postal Service for failing to work on Sundays, which is the day of his Christian Sabbath. The case will provide the court with another opportunity to expand religious rights, but it has also raised questions about whether religious people deserve special treatment.

The court's conservative majority has frequently expanded religious rights in recent years, often siding with Christian plaintiffs. A ruling in favor of Groff could make it harder for businesses to refuse religious accommodations for employees. However, some experts believe it could create friction in the workplace and give religious people preferential treatment over nonreligious employees.

Groff's case focuses on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on religion and other factors. Groff's lawyers are asking the Supreme Court to overturn a 1977 precedent requiring businesses to show that granting religious accommodations would cause more than a "de minimis" cost. Photo by Marielam1, Wikimedia commons.