Ronald Hittle served as Fire Chief of Stockton, California from 2005 until 2011. In 2010, when asked by the city to obtain leadership training, Hittle chose to attend the Global Leadership Summit — a church‑sponsored leadership conference — believing it would enhance his ability to lead the fire department. He even allowed three of his staff to accompany him, using a city vehicle, and placed the training on the public city calendar so his supervisors would know.
Shortly after his attendance, the city received an anonymous letter criticizing Hittle, calling him a “religious fanatic” and accusing him of corrupt and poor leadership. The city then initiated an independent investigation. The resulting 250‑page report found multiple instances of alleged misconduct: poor leadership and judgment, misuse of city time and vehicle to attend a religious event, improper approval of on‑duty attendance for other managers, failure to report time off correctly, favoritism, undisclosed financial ties between staff, and misuse of city resources. Based on these conclusions, Stockton removed Hittle from his position in 2011.
Hittle responded by filing a lawsuit under the federal Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and California’s California Fair Employment and Housing Act, claiming his termination was actually motivated by religious discrimination: that he was fired not for misconduct but because he was a Christian and attended a Christian‑affiliated event. His legal team pointed to the anonymous letter’s religious language, references by city managers to a “Christian coalition” in the department, and the fact that the termination letter cited the “religious event” as a primary reason.
However, in March 2022, a U.S. District Court granted summary judgment to the city, concluding that Hittle had not provided sufficient evidence to survive to trial — i.e., no jury would hear his case. In August 2023, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that decision, holding that the city had given legitimate non‑religious reasons for the firing (misconduct and misuse of resources), and Hittle had failed to show those reasons were mere pretext for discrimination.
In March 2025, Hittle’s attorneys petitioned the Supreme Court of the United States to review the case. The Court declined to hear it — leaving the lower‑court ruling in place. Nonetheless, two justices — Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch — dissented from the denial of certiorari, arguing the case raised important questions about whether the existing legal standard for evaluating workplace discrimination (the burden‑shifting test from McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green) remains adequate when religious animus may play a role.
In sum: Hittle was fired after attending a Christian‑affiliated leadership conference while serving as fire chief. The city cited multiple misconduct findings. Hittle claimed his firing was actually religious discrimination. Federal courts ruled for the city, and the Supreme Court declined to intervene — though dissenting justices warned that the case exposed flaws in how courts assess religious discrimination claims. The decision leaves intact the view that attendance at a religious event, on city time and using city resources, can — under current legal doctrine — constitute legitimate grounds for termination even when the person’s faith played a role in why the event was perceived as problematic.
