European Court to Issue Religious Freedom Ruling Tomorrow

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has announced that it will issue a ruling tomorrow in Eweida and Others v. United Kingdom . As I wrote back in September , when the cases were argued before the Court, the cases could have a significant impact on religious freedom in Europe:

The applicants in these cases argue that UK courts failed to protect their [rights under the European Convention on Human Rights] by allowing their employers to discipline them for practicing Christianity. Chaplin, a nurse, and Eweida, a British Airways employee, were forbidden by their employers from wearing cross necklaces at work. Ladele, a public registrar, lost her job when she declined, on the ground of religious conviction, to register same-sex civil partnerships. McFarlane, a psychotherapist, lost his job when he expressed doubts as a Christian about the morality of homosexual conduct.

I’ll offer an analysis of the Court’s ruling later in the week.

Mark Movsesian is Director of the Center for Law and Religion at St. John’s University.