A lawsuit filed against the Idaho Army National Guard alleges that a policy has been put in place that effectively blocks Christians from holding leadership positions. The legal action, brought by Maj. David Worley with the backing of Liberty Counsel, argues that his removal from command was based solely on his religious beliefs.

Court documents reveal that Worley, a longtime member of the Idaho Army National Guard, was promoted to lead the state’s Recruiting and Retention unit in 2023. However, after a fellow guardsman filed a complaint against him, citing social media posts Worley had made years earlier, he was stripped of his position. The complaint reportedly came from a homosexual soldier who claimed Worley’s statements about drag queen story hours and gender transition procedures for children made him “unsafe.”

Despite an investigation finding the claims against Worley to be unsubstantiated, leadership at the Idaho National Guard determined that his beliefs were “toxic” and removed him from command. The lawsuit alleges that instead of reinstating him, the guard created a new policy requiring all future command candidates to undergo scrutiny for “extremist” views, including private social media posts.

Liberty Counsel describes this policy as a blatant act of religious discrimination. The legal group contends that the guard’s new policy amounts to a “No Christians in Command” directive that effectively bans service members with traditional Christian beliefs from holding leadership roles.

The case has drawn national attention, particularly as President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order targeting anti-Christian bias. Attorney General Pam Bondi has been appointed to lead a task force to investigate and address religious discrimination, with this lawsuit likely to be among the cases reviewed.

Gov. Brad Little has yet to comment on the controversy, and the Idaho National Guard has not publicly addressed the allegations.