TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling for the city of Tulsa in a civil rights complaint by a police captain who didn’t want to attend an event at a mosque.
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals handed down the decision Thursday in the case of Capt. Paul Fields, who was punished for objecting to orders that he attend a law-enforcement appreciation event at the Islamic Society of Tulsa.
The city issued suspensions saying Fields was disobedient and engaged in conduct unbecoming an officer. Fields sued, alleging his rights were violated. But the appeals court says the order did not violate his personal religious beliefs.
Fields’ lawyer, Robert Joseph Muise of the American Freedom Law Center, says he disagrees with the ruling and will request a new hearing.
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