The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case on the firing of a California fire chief for attending a conference at a church, upholding a lower court ruling that sided with the chief’s former employer.

The Supreme Court on Monday announced that it will not intervene in a religious discrimination case out of California, meaning that a lower court ruling against a former fire chief will remain in place.

Ronald Hittle, a 24-year veteran of the Stockton Fire Department said he was fired after attending a two-day Christian conference on city time.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas expressed an interest in revisiting a case decided by the High Court over 50 years ago.

Justice Neil Gorsuch shows that overregulation isn’t just economically inefficient—it is a threat to republican self-government.