Posted: 9/19/03
Officials must testify in Navy chaplains' suit
WASHINGTON (RNS)–A U.S. district court judge has ruled that members and staffers of the U.S. Navy's chaplain selection boards must give testimony in lawsuits charging the military service with religious discrimination.
The opinion by Judge Ricardo Urbina of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia rejects the Navy's defense that the boards' proceedings should be kept private. Plaintiffs in two cases, including one that is a class-action suit, sought the testimony, saying it was relevant.
In both cases, current and former Navy chaplains have sued the Navy, alleging it favors liturgical Christians over non-liturgical Christians when promoting its chaplains.
“Without addressing the merits of the plaintiffs' claims, the court concludes that the plaintiffs have provided an adequate factual basis for their belief that the requested testimony will provide evidence of government misconduct,” Urbina wrote.
“The various reports and statistics cited by the plaintiffs are adequate at this stage to support a belief that the Navy engaged in discrimination against non-liturgical chaplains.”
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