Editing Jet Propulsion Laboratory (section)

===''Coppedge v Jet Propulsion Laboratory''===

On March 12, 2012, the [[Los Angeles Superior Court]] took opening statements on the case in which former JPL employee David Coppedge brought suit against the lab due to workplace discrimination and wrongful termination. In the suit, Coppedge alleges that he first lost his "team lead" status on JPL's ''[[Cassini-Huygens]]'' mission in 2009 and then was fired in 2011 because of his evangelical Christian beliefs and specifically his belief in [[intelligent design]]. Conversely, JPL, through the [[Caltech]] lawyers representing the laboratory, allege that Coppedge's termination was simply due to budget cuts and his demotion from team lead was because of harassment complaints and from on-going conflicts with his co-workers.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/science/former-nasa-specialist-claims-he-was-fired-over-intelligent-design |work=Fox News |title=Former NASA specialist claims he was fired over intelligent design |date=March 11, 2012 |access-date=March 12, 2012 |archive-date=March 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312142641/http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/03/11/former-nasa-specialist-claims-was-fired-over-intelligent-design/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Superior Court Judge Ernest Hiroshige issued a final ruling in favor of JPL on January 16, 2013.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://articles.lacanadaonline.com/2013-01-17/news/tn-818-0117-judge-confirms-earlier-ruling-sides-with-jpl-in-intelligent-design-case_1_david-coppedge-james-zapp-jpl-attorneys |work=La Canada Valley Sun |title=Judge confirms earlier ruling, sides with JPL in 'intelligent design' case |date=January 17, 2013 |access-date=2013-01-21 |archive-date=2013-01-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123010444/http://articles.lacanadaonline.com/2013-01-17/news/tn-818-0117-judge-confirms-earlier-ruling-sides-with-jpl-in-intelligent-design-case_1_david-coppedge-james-zapp-jpl-attorneys |url-status=dead}}</ref>