A California fire chief who claims that he was fired due to his Christian faith asked the Supreme Court to reverse one of its longstanding decisions.

Yet in a move sure to upset Republicans, a majority of the Supreme Court's justices have declined to hear his case. 

Plaintiffs pointed to 1973 ruling

According to CNN, the petition was brought by Ronald Hittle, who was let go after he attended a Christian conference while on the clock.

His employer defended Hittle's dismissal on the grounds that he had been told to attend a "leadership" conference. What's more, Hittle allegedly has a history of disobeying orders throughout his 24-year-long career.

At issue is the Supreme Court's holding in McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, a 19773 case which established a three-step process for evaluating employment discrimination claims under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Complainants must first produce evidence that he or she was discriminated against on a prohibited basis, such as race or sex.

Justice Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch dissent from majority

The employer is then given an opportunity to show that its actions were taken for legitimate, nondiscriminatory reasons. Finally, the plaintiff must successfully demonstrate that the employer's stated rationale was simply a pretext for unlawful discrimination.

Hittle's attorneys had called on America's highest judicial body to overturn Green's "unworkable and egregiously wrong test without further delay," stressing that it "has rightly been criticized by judges and scholars alike."

CNN noted how Justice Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch dissented from the majority's opinion and agreed with the plaintiff's arguments that McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green should be done away with.

Thomas wrote that the five-decade old case has been "producing troubling outcomes on the ground," and added, "I am not aware of many precedents that have caused more confusion than this one."

Court expected to rule for straight woman who says she was discriminated against

Hittle's was not the only discrimination claim to come before the Supreme Court recently, as The New York Times reported last month that many observers believe it will rule for a woman who says she was discriminated against for being heterosexual.

In their brief, Marlean Ames's lawyers pointed out that the Ohio Department of Youth Services had given their client multiple promotions and positive evaluations.

Nevertheless, she was passed over for a promotion in 2019 and later demoted, resulting in a $40,000 pay cut. The attorneys maintained that Ames' gay supervisor unfairly targeted her in order to benefit less qualified gay applicants.

USA Today reported that lower courts found that Ames failed to present "background circumstances" showing the Ohio Department of Youth Services was "that unusual employer who discriminates against the majority."