WASHINGTON (NEWSnet/AP) — U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday used the case of a Christian mailman who prefers not to work on Sundays to solidify protection for workers who ask for religious accommodation.

In a unanimous decision, the justices made clear that workers who ask for accommodations, such as not working on the Sabbath, should receive approval, unless their employers show doing so would result in “substantial increased costs” to the business.

The court made clear businesses must cite more than minor cost to reject such requests.

The case involves, Gerald Groff, a former mail carrier in Pennsylvania who was told he would be required to deliver Amazon packages on Sunday. He declined, saying his Sundays are for church and family. U.S. Postal Service officials initially tried to get substitutes for the shifts, but sometimes that wasn’t possible. When he didn’t arrive for work, that meant more work for others. Ultimately, the man quit and sued on the grounds of religious discrimination.

For years, Groff was a fill-in mail carrier for U.S. Postal Service, working when other carriers had time-off. But when an Amazon.com contract with the Postal Service required carriers to delier packages on Sundays, Groff balked. Initially, to avoid the shifts, Groff transferred to a more rural post office that wasn’t doing Sunday deliveries, but eventually that post office was required to do that, too.

Whenever Groff was scheduled on a Sunday, another carrier had to work or his spot went unfilled. Officials said Groff’s absences created a tense environment and contributed to negative morale. It also meant other carriers had to deliver more Sunday mail than they otherwise would.

Groff resigned in 2019. He sued the Postal service for failing to accommodate his religious practice. Previously, lower courts ruled against him. As a result of the court’s ruling, his case will get another look.

The case is Groff v. DeJoy, 22-174.

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