Appeals court upholds dismissal of Misjuns' lawsuit against Lynchburg

LYNCHBURG — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Thursday upheld a lower court’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit brought by At-large Lynchburg Councilman Martin Misjuns, who argued his termination from the city’s fire department violated his rights to free speech and religion.

The opinion, written by Judge Roger Gregory, affirmed the rulings by Judges Norman Moon and Robert Ballou of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia to dismiss the councilman’s lawsuit.

The other two appeals court judges who heard the case joined Gregory in affirming the lower court’s dismissal of the lawsuit.

In a concurring opinion, Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III wrote, “I am pleased to concur in Judge Gregory’s fine opinion in this case. The record amply demonstrates that the Ci