Southwest Airlines flight attendant Charlene Carter has prevailed in her federal lawsuit in which she charged the Transportation Workers Union of America (TWU) Local 556 union and Southwest for illegally firing her for her religious opposition to abortion. She received free legal representation from National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys.

On July 14, 2022, a federal district court jury in Dallas, Texas, returned a verdict that found in Carter’s favor on all counts of her lawsuit, including violation of the Railway Labor Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and breach of the union’s duty of fair representation. The jury awarded Carter $5.1 million in combined compensatory and punitive damages against TWU and Southwest for their respective roles in her unlawful termination.

The Foundation’s full news release about the case can be accessed here: https://www.nrtw.org/news/carter-twu-victory-07142022/

Note from the Editor: The Federalist Society takes no positions on particular legal and public policy matters. Any expressions of opinion are those of the author. We welcome responses to the views presented here. To join the debate, please email us at [email protected].