The Associated Press
Indianapolis (AP) -- The Indiana Supreme Court will not review a former state trooper’s claim that his firing for refusing to work at a casino violated his state constitutional rights to religious freedom.
The high court rejected an appeal by Ben Endres on Thursday, saying he raised an important issue but did not press his claim enough at the trial court level to warrant appellate review.
Endres, now a St. Joseph County sheriff’s deputy, wanted the court to force the Indiana State Police to accommodate his religious beliefs, which he said would be compromised by the gambling assignment.
Endres, who is Baptist, said he was not opposed to general casino crime-fighting, but could not go along when the state designated him a full-time gaming officer and ordered him to report to the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City. He was fired in April 2000 after being a trooper since 1991.
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago said federal law did not require police and fire departments to assign workers to duties compatible with their principles. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case.