Supreme Court of the United States · Official docket →
David Petersen, et al. v. Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue
Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, No. 24-1044 · judgment September 2, 2025
5%
estimated cert probability
(petition-stage, structural)
(petition-stage, structural)
Conference-stage estimate: 14%
GVR risk 2%
Roughly the 4.1% base rate. The model weights this up for counsel who has won certiorari before and a Ninth Circuit decision below.
Question presented
Whether an employer can defeat a Title VII religious accommodation claim by establishing merely that it had a reasonable basis for believing that a requested accommodation would inflict an undue hardship on the employer or whether the employer must establish that the requested accommodation would have actually imposed an undue hardship.
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Lisa S. Blatt
Williams & Connolly LLP
For respondent
Molly Joanne Gibbons
Summit Law Group, PLLC
Proceedings
- Aug 19 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/28/2026.
- Aug 17 2026Reply of petitioners David Petersen, et al. filed. (Distributed)
- Aug 03 2026Brief of respondent Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue in opposition filed.
- Jun 29 2026Brief amicus curiae of The General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church filed.
- Jun 09 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including August 3, 2026.
- Jun 08 2026Motion to extend the time to file a response from July 2, 2026 to August 3, 2026, submitted to The Clerk.
- Jun 02 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/18/2026.
- Jun 02 2026Response Requested. (Due July 2, 2026)
- May 26 2026Waiver of right of respondent Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue to respond filed.
- May 26 2026Brief amici curiae of The National Catholic Bioethics Center, et al. filed.
- May 26 2026Brief amici curiae of Former EEOC General Counsel, et al. filed.
- May 26 2026Brief amicus curiae of Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team filed.
- May 26 2026Brief amicus curiae of Ronald Hittle filed.
- May 26 2026Brief amicus curiae of Foundation for Moral Law filed.
- May 26 2026Amicus brief of Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty in support of neither party not accepted for filing. (To be corrected - May 28, 2026)
- May 26 2026Brief amicus curiae of Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty in support of neither party filed. (Corrected)
- May 26 2026Brief amicus curiae of American Hindu Jewish Congress filed.
- May 26 2026Brief amicus curiae of Americans for Fair Treatment filed.
- May 26 2026Brief amicus curiae of Airline Employees for Health Freedom filed.
- May 26 2026Brief amicus curiae of Protect the First Foundation filed.
- May 26 2026Brief amici curiae of Nebraska, et al. filed.
- May 22 2026Brief amici curiae of Current and Former Military Servicemembers filed.
- May 18 2026Brief amicus curiae of Gerald Groff filed.
- Apr 16 2026Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due May 26, 2026)
- Mar 06 2026Application (25A981) granted by Justice Kagan extending the time to file until April 16, 2026.
- Mar 04 2026Application (25A981) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from March 17, 2026 to April 16, 2026, submitted to Justice Kagan.