Ninth Circuit Judges Differ Over What Qualifies As ‘Religious Belief’ Under California Law

A divided Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has held that a plaintiff’s assertion that she was precluded from taking a COVID-19 shot as mandated by her employer, based on her sincere belief as a practicing Catholic that her body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, does not qualify as “religious” under a California employment discrimination law even if the party provided specific Biblical references as support for her assertions.