A school’s attempt to appeal a landmark judgment in its seven-year legal battle with Kristie Higgs has been rejected by the Supreme Court.
Higgs, the Christian school assistant who was dismissed after sharing Facebook posts that her employer deemed transphobic and homophobic, won her case against Farmor’s School at the Court of Appeal in February 2025.
The school, in Fairford, Gloucestershire, appealed the decision in March but three Supreme Court judges, Lord Reed, Lord Hamblen and Lady Simler, have now refused it, bringing the case to a close.
Higgs said: “I am relieved and grateful to the Supreme Court for this common-sense decision. Christians have the right to express their beliefs on social media and at other non-work-related settings without fear of being punished by their employer.
“Expressing biblical truth is not discriminatory. It is an expression of love and of light. Today’s judgment is as important for free speech as it is for freedom of religion. Employers will no longer be able to rely on their theoretical fears of reputational damage or subjective concerns about causing offence to discipline employees for exercising their fundamental freedom to express their deeply held beliefs.
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“The Court of Appeal has now set a clear standard to protect people like me, and the countless other Christians in this nation, to express their beliefs without fear of losing their jobs.”
In 2023, at the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT), the judge granted Higgs permission to appeal the original 2020 tribunal ruling, but remitted the case back to the employment tribunal to be reheard.
That decision was overturned by the Court of Appeal in February 2025, confirming that the Equality Act protects traditional Christian beliefs on social issues, such as opposition to the ideas of transgenderism, ‘gender-fluidity’ and same-sex marriage.
According to Christian Concern, which backed Higgs’ case, the judgment re-shaped the law on freedom of religion in the workplace, establishing a legal presumption that any dismissal for an expression or manifestation of Christian faith is unlawful.
The Court of Appeal explained that the burden is on the employer to prove in the employment tribunal that any such dismissal can be objectively justified, not just that the employer believed it to be justified.
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “We welcome the Supreme Court’s decision, which brings a decisive closure to this extraordinary case.
“The Court of Appeal ruling, now unequivocally upheld, powerfully demonstrated that the foundational Christian principles of free speech and religious liberty are not yet extinguished from English law. The resolution of Kristie’s case establishes a critical legal precedent that will resonate for many years to come, protecting the right to express Christian beliefs without fear of reprisal.”
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