02/29/2024 United States (International Christian Concern) – The United States Supreme Court officially refused to try the case of the dismissal of Christian jurors from a Missouri trial regarding homosexuality on Feb. 26. The case of Missouri Department of Corrections V. Finney involves the harassment of a woman named Jean Finney, that was conducted based on her sexuality.
A self-described lesbian who presents masculine, Finney experienced harassment in the workplace due to her relationship with a coworker’s ex-wife. While trying this case, however, three potential jury members were dismissed because of their “conservative Christian values.” Finney’s attorney questioned the jurors with what he called a tricky question, asking if “any juror went to a conservative Christian church where it was taught that people [who] are homosexual shouldn’t have the same rights as everyone else because what they did was a sin.”
In a statement released by Justice Alito of the Supreme Court, he agreed with the characterization of the so-called tricky question, saying, “It conflated two separate issues: whether the prospective jurors believed that homosexual conduct is sinful and whether they believed that gays and lesbians should not enjoy the legal rights possessed by others.”
In response to this question, multiple jurors attempted to articulate the distinction noted by Justice Alito. A pastor’s wife on the jury responded, “Homosexuality, according to the Bible, is a sin. So is gossiping, so is lying. None of us can be perfect. And so, I’m here because it’s an honor to sit in here and to perhaps be a part of, you know, a civic duty.”
Another juror addressed the question by saying, “Homosexuality is a sin because it’s in the Bible. But every one of us here sins; it’s just part of our nature. And it’s something we struggle with, hopefully, throughout our life. And the fact that it is a sin has really nothing to do with— in a negative way with whatever this case is going to be about.”
In her final decision, the trial judge granted the motion to dismiss, noting that both jurors said “that they could follow the law” and that she should “err on the side of caution because there [are] enough jurors left.”
The plaintiff’s counsel expressed concerns about getting into the bounds of religious discrimination. Justice Alito’s statement agreed by stating, “I see no basis for dismissing a juror for cause based on religious beliefs.”
Justice Alito eventually voted against trying the case due to a technicality in the filing process, which led the case to contain the preservation of an objection rather than the dismissal on a religious basis.
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