Employers Win Most Religious Accommodation Dismissals

A Cornell University study finds employers secured pre-trial dismissals in 76% of rulings after the Supreme Court's Groff v. DeJoy decision.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Employment

Employers Win Most Religious Accommodation Dismissals

Live Poll

Should employers have to accommodate workers' religious requests unless it causes hardship?

Employers obtained pre-trial dismissal of failure-to-accommodate claims in 76% of 46 rulings issued after the Supreme Court decided Groff v. DeJoy unanimously in 2023. That rate compares with a 51% summary judgment win rate across 49 decisions from the two decades before the ruling.

Why it matters

Groff v. DeJoy made it harder for employers to reject religious accommodation requests, yet the Cornell findings suggest many claims are still being dismissed before trial. For workers across the United States, the gap between the ruling's intent and early outcomes shapes how accommodation requests are evaluated.

The Cornell study compares 46 post-Groff rulings with 49 pre-Groff summary judgment decisions, showing employers won 76% of the former versus 51% of the latter. The analysis does not explain what drove the change in outcomes.

The players

Supreme Court of the United States

The nation's highest court, whose unanimous Groff v. DeJoy decision reshaped the standard for religious accommodation claims in employment law.

Cornell University

A private Ivy League research university whose researchers analyzed post-Groff rulings to measure how employers have fared in accommodation litigation.

Bloomberg Law

The legal news and analysis division of Bloomberg that reported the Cornell study's findings on employer win rates.

The details

The Supreme Court decided Groff v. DeJoy unanimously in 2023, tightening the standard employers must meet to reject religious accommodation requests. A Cornell University study examined the rulings that followed and compared them with decisions from the two decades before the case.

2023: The Supreme Court unanimously decided Groff v. DeJoy.
November 3, 2026: Bloomberg Law reported the Cornell study's findings on employer win rates.

Economic Context

The Groff v. DeJoy ruling was designed to make it harder for employers to reject religious accommodation requests under Title VII. The Cornell comparison of 46 post-ruling decisions against 49 pre-ruling summary judgment rulings offers an early test of whether that intent has translated into court outcomes.

Workers who request religious accommodations may face a higher chance of having their claims dismissed before trial than the Groff standard alone would suggest. Employees seeking accommodation should document requests and responses carefully, since early dismissal is now the more common outcome in these cases.

The takeaway

Employers winning most early-stage accommodation disputes does not necessarily mean they are winning on the merits, but it does mean employees should expect a strong procedural fight before reaching a jury. Keeping a clear written record of accommodation requests and employer responses remains the most practical safeguard.