The Briefing Room
General Category => National/Breaking News => SCOTUS News => Topic started by: PeteS in CA on December 11, 2020, 08:09:25 pm
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Supreme Court Puts Agents on Financial Hook for Religious Freedom Violations
https://freebeacon.com/courts/supreme-court-puts-agents-on-financial-hook-for-religious-freedom-violations/ (https://freebeacon.com/courts/supreme-court-puts-agents-on-financial-hook-for-religious-freedom-violations/)
The Supreme Court said Thursday that federal agents can be forced to pay out of their own pocket for religious liberty violations.
The decision allows three Muslim men to seek monetary damages from FBI agents who allegedly placed them on the no-fly list as retaliation for turning down requests to become informants. Justice Clarence Thomas delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court.
"This is a good decision that makes it easier to hold the government accountable when it violates Americans' religious liberties," said Lori Windham of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which filed a brief supporting the plaintiffs.
The plaintiffs in Thursday's case, Muhammad Tanvir, Jameel Algibhah, and Naveed Shinwari, are Muslim citizens or green card holders who say FBI special agents attempted to recruit them as informants in the New York City area and abroad. For example, Algibhah alleges that agents asked him to attend particular mosques, behave like an extremist, and engage on online Islamic forums.
All three men refused, citing their Muslim faith. They said informing amounts to bearing false witness, worshiping under false pretenses, and betraying the trust of fellow Muslims. A short time later, the agents added them to the no-fly list.