Federal judge who ordered Southwest Airlines lawyers get religious-liberty training delays action

DALLAS — A federal judge has delayed his order that three Southwest Airlines lawyers attend “religious-liberty training” while the airline appeals the sanction to a higher court.

U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr on Thursday issued a 30-day stay of penalties against Southwest for, he ruled, mostly disregarding a previous order in a case involving a flight attendant who says she was fired for expressing opposition to abortion.

Southwest objected to the contempt sanctions, which include religious-liberty training conducted by a conservative Christian legal-advocacy group, Alliance Defending Freedom. The airline filed an appeal with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

Some legal experts have criticized Starr for ordering the Southwest lawyers to undergo training by a group that is aligned with a particular facet of one religion. The leader of Fix the Court, a small, nonpartisan group known mostly for monitoring the U.S. Supreme Court, filed a judicial-misconduct petition against the judge.

A jury ruled last year that Southwest and the Transport Workers Union had violated the flight attendant's rights by firing her over religious speech, and she won a judgment of roughly $800,000. The airline says she was fired for violating its policy against harassment. Southwest and the union are also appealing the jury verdict.