Two Christian organizations are stepping in to defend President Donald Trump’s decision to fire former Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) member Jocelyn Samuels, a Democrat who pushed radical gender identity and abortion mandates on employers. The Christian Employers Alliance (CEA) and Choices Pregnancy Centers of Greater Phoenix, Inc., represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, filed a motion Thursday asking the court to reject Samuels’ lawsuit seeking reinstatement.
“The Court should not assess Samuels’ removal’s validity without hearing from the very employers that the removal seeks to protect,” the motion states.
During her time at the EEOC, Samuels worked to impose mandates forcing employers to affirm gender transitions and pay for elective abortions — policies that, according to Christian employers, “ignore the biological realities that humans are male or female and that human life begins at conception.”
After Trump took office, he ordered the EEOC to rescind these overreaching rules. When Samuels and other Democratic commissioners refused, they were removed. Samuels, first appointed under Obama and kept on under Biden, is now suing, arguing that her fixed five-year term protected her from being fired.
The Christian groups insist otherwise, emphasizing that the President must have the ability to remove officials who defy his constitutional duties. “CEA supports President Trump’s right to control the EEOC,” said CEA President Margaret Iuculano, adding, “He has the mandate of the American people, not un-elected commissioners who have imposed woke policies on businesses and nonprofits across this nation.”
CEA and Choices Pregnancy Center argue that enforcing Samuels’ mandates would force them to violate their faith — beliefs grounded in the understanding that “God made humans male and female” and “life begins at conception.”
The case touches broader constitutional issues about presidential authority over so-called independent agencies. Recent court rulings, including Severino v. Biden, affirm the President’s right to fire appointees who go rogue, bolstering Trump’s legal position. As White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said last month, “They need to remember who they work for. It’s the executive of the executive branch.”
If the court sides with Samuels, Christian employers warn, the EEOC could immediately resume enforcing radical policies — a threat they argue justifies their intervention to uphold Trump’s dismissal and defend religious liberty.
Meanwhile, in a promising move for conservatives, EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas named former CEA President Shannon Royce as her new chief of staff earlier this week.
