In Thomas v. Review Board of the Indiana Employment Security Division et al., 1980, Eddie C. Thomas was a Jehovah's Witness who quit his job because he believed that his work in an armament factory was against his religious principles. After quitting, he applied for unemployment compensation but was denied by the Indiana Employment Security Division on grounds that he left voluntarily without good cause and thus ineligible under state law. The case reached the Supreme Court which ruled in favor of Thomas with a 9-0 decision stating that denying him benefits violated his First Amendment rights to free exercise of religion as protected by the Fourteenth Amendment due process clause. The court held that states cannot force individuals to choose between their jobs and their religious beliefs unless there is proof of compelling state interest, which wasn't demonstrated here.

In the case of Thomas v. Review Board of the Indiana Employment Security Division, there was no formal dissenting opinion issued by any justice. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of Thomas, with all justices agreeing that his religious beliefs were sincerely held and thus should be protected under the First Amendment's Free Exercise Clause. Therefore, he was entitled to unemployment benefits after quitting his job due to a conflict between his work duties and religious beliefs as a Jehovah’s Witness.