⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

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Pierre Thorsen v. Community Unit School District No. 300 — 7th Cir. (Sep 16, 2026)

No. 25-2942 Argued September 16, 2026 Published October 5, 2026

An Illinois teacher says he was forced to resign because of his Christian faith. Parents complained that Pierre Thorsen encouraged their daughter to convert to Christianity. District Three Hundred suspended him, transferred him, and imposed written teaching restrictions. After further alleged violations, he resigned at an August 2019 meeting. Thorsen says he faced a resign-or-be-fired ultimatum; the district says it disciplined conduct, not belief. Constructive discharge means a resignation the law treats as a firing. He sued under Title Seven, which prohibits employment discrimination because of religion. The district court ruled for the school district without a trial, finding insufficient evidence of a forced resignation or religious discrimination. His counsel will argue those questions belong before a jury; Abigail Rogers will defend the district's judgment. We hear the Seventh Circuit argument from September sixteenth, twenty twenty-six.

Pierre Thorsen v. Community Unit School District No. 300 (No. 25-2942) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, argued September 16, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — Seventh Circuit (court original):https://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/sound/external/cm.25-2942.25-2942_09_16_2026.mp3
Argument date and case listing — Seventh Circuit:https://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/oralArguments/oar.jsp?amonth=09%2F2026&aMonth=List+case%28s%29
Case background and summary judgment — N.D. Illinois document 235, December 19, 2024 (court PDF via Justia):https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/illinois/ilndce/3%3A2020cv50132/375314/235/0.pdf
Counsel appearances — appellate docket via Justia (April 7, 2026 snapshot; not current status):https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca7/25-2942
Title VII employment-discrimination prohibition — 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-2(a), statutory text via Cornell LII:https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/2000e-2

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