US Forest Service officer granted exemption from working on Sundays

August 19, 2026

A U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer in Colorado who was previously denied an exemption from having to work on Sundays has been granted his request for a religious accommodation after enlisting the help of legal counsel.

The Christian Post reports that Adam Diemert, who is based in Glenwood Springs, is a devout Presbyterian who attends church twice on Sundays.

According to the legal team representing him, Diemert submitted two religious accommodation requests for Sundays off and was denied both times despite saying he would work in emergency situations on Sundays.

Diemert is represented by the law firm Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP and the First Liberty Institute (FLI), a conservative legal group that specializes in First Amendment cases.

When Diemert assumed his job in 2024, the position had been vacant for years. At the time he was hired, Diemert took personal leave on Sundays from March 2024 through the following 10 months and volunteered on two Sundays as needed.

According to Diemert’s legal team, his willingness to work on Sundays during emergencies removed the government’s “undue hardship” justification for denying his request.

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in June 2023 in Greg Groff v. Louis DeJoy that a lower court was wrong to rule that a postal worker had to work Sundays despite his sincerely held beliefs, according to the Christian Post.

Last November, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced new guidance regarding religious accommodation and expression rights in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

In a statement released at the time, Rollins said that “we must preserve religious liberty, not only as a constitutional guarantee, but also as a safeguard for every other freedom we hold dear.”

FLI Senior Counsel Cliff Martin said in a statement last week, “We are grateful for the leadership of Secretary Brooke Rollins, Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden, and the rest of the leadership team at the Department of Agriculture, and for their protection of religious liberty for all Americans.”

Martin added, “The Department’s decision is in line with the Supreme Court’s conclusion that reasonable adjustments to the work environment often must be made to allow an employee to practice his or her religion when there is no substantial disruption or cost to the organization.”

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