Cochran v. City of Atlanta

The city and mayor of Atlanta terminated the employment of Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran because of his Christian faith and beliefs. Mayor Kasim Reed first suspended Cochran for 30 days and announced that he would have to complete “sensitivity training” after activists who don’t agree with the fire chief’s Christian views on sex complained about a men’s devotional book Cochran had written on his personal time. Biblical sexual morality is mentioned only briefly in the 162-page book. After an investigation that included interviews with employees found Cochran did not discriminate against anyone, the mayor fired him anyway—citing as his basis, ironically, the need to tolerate diverse views.

Case timeline

• November 2014: The city of Atlanta placed Kelvin Cochran on unpaid leave for 30 days from his position as fire chief because of his beliefs.
• January 2015: After the suspension ended, the city fired Kelvin.
• February 2015: ADF attorneys filed a lawsuit against Atlanta on Kelvin’s behalf.
• December 2017: A federal district court ruled that Atlanta’s policies restricting its employees’ free speech violated the Constitution.
• October 2018: Atlanta agreed to pay Kelvin $1.2 million in the wake of the court’s decision.