The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Nov. 2 in the case of an Army reservist who claims he was unfairly fired from his civilian job because of his military obligations. Sgt. Vincent E. Staub first filed the lawsuit before the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois against his employer, Proctor Hospital, after the hospital fired him in April 2004. Even though the district court ruled in Staub’s favor, he lost when the hospital appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Staub then appealed to the high court. The hearing marks the first time the Supreme Court has considered a case under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA), which protects part-time service members from losing their civilian jobs because of military commitments.
