Isaiah was the director of the information services department for Polk County, Iowa. During department meetings in his office, he allowed occasional prayers and, in addressing one meeting, referred to Bible passages related to sloth and “work ethics.” There was no apparent disruption of the work routine, but the county administrator reprimanded Isaiah. Later, the administrator ordered him to remove from his office all items with a religious connotation. Isaiah sued the county, alleging that the reprimand and the order violated, among other things, the free exercise clause of the First Amendment.
Is the county liable for violating Isaiah’s constitutional rights?