In Hobbie v. Jennison, the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of a plaintiff who was wrongfully dismissed from his job due to religious beliefs. The case involved an individual named Hobbie who converted to Seventh-day Adventism while employed by Unemployment Appeals Commission (UAC). His new faith required him to observe Sabbath on Saturdays which conflicted with his work schedule. Despite explaining this situation and requesting accommodation, he was fired for insubordination when he refused to work on Saturdays. He applied for unemployment compensation but was denied because it was determined that he had been discharged for misconduct connected with his work. Hobbie appealed the decision all the way up to the Supreme Court arguing that denying him benefits violated his First Amendment rights under free exercise clause as well as Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause since other employees were accommodated when their personal circumstances interfered with their ability to perform certain jobs. The court agreed stating that government cannot penalize or discriminate against individuals based on their religious beliefs or practices unless there is a compelling state interest at stake which wasn't present in this case.

The dissenting opinion in the case of Hobbie v. Jennison argued that the majority's decision to uphold a law allowing for imprisonment due to debt was unconstitutional. The dissenters believed that this violated the 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal protection under the law and prohibits states from depriving any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law. They contended that imprisoning someone because they could not pay their debts was effectively punishing them for being poor, which is inherently unequal treatment under the law. Furthermore, they asserted that such laws were counterproductive as they prevented individuals from working and thus repaying their debts while also imposing additional costs on society by incarcerating these individuals.