Harry Potter and the Curse of the Frivolous Lawsuit

Sure the boy wizard has escaped some perilous foes, but how will Potter fare against the likes of Dewey, Cheatam & Howe, or the dreaded ACLU? A former Missouri librarian, Deborah Smith, said she was suspended for 10 days without pay after she refused to work at a Harry Potter event that she claims violates […]

Sure the boy wizard has escaped some perilous foes, but how will Potter fare against the likes of Dewey, Cheatam & Howe, or the dreaded ACLU?

A former Missouri librarian, Deborah Smith, said she was suspended for 10 days without pay after she refused to work at a Harry Potter event that she claims violates her religious beliefs. She’s a Southern Baptist, and didn’t want to dress like a like a witch for a library event celebrating the 2007 release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” She thinks the books popularize witchcraft and the practice of the occult.

Smith alleges that when she came back to work after the suspension her hours were cut and she was given more labor intensive tasks, according to this AP story.


“Government employers must respect individuals’ religious beliefs,” said Brenda Jones, executive director of the ACLU of Eastern Missouri, which is representing Smith. “Federal law requires accommodation of religious beliefs so that every citizen’s religious liberty is safeguarded.”

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