Faith Should Never Be a Job Qualification at the Statehouse: The Facts on Colorado's Deleted Internship Ad

Imagine a Republican state senator posting a paid internship whose first listed qualification was "Identify as a Christian." The outcry would be instant, national and justified. That simple test is the right way to think about the internship posting that surfaced this week in Colorado.

What Happened

According to Newsweek, a now-deleted posting advertised the "MENASA & Muslim Joint Legislative Caucus Legislative Intern Program" at the Colorado Capitol ^[1]. Its first listed qualification read: "Identify as a Muslim and/or as Middle Eastern, North African, or South Asian" ^[1]. Newsweek reported that the part-time position paid a $1,000 stipend, would run during the 2027 legislative session, and would place the intern in the offices of state Sen. Iman Jodeh and state Rep. Yara Zokaie ^[1]. Other qualifications included a minimum 3.5 grade point average and an interest in policy and the legislative process ^[1].

Jodeh, a Democrat from Arapahoe County, describes herself as the first Muslim elected to the Colorado Legislature ^[1]. NewsBusters reported that she had promoted the internship on Instagram and Facebook and that both posts had been deleted by Thursday ^[2]. The listing drew attention after the account Libs of TikTok shared it, and critics tagged the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division ^[2]. The Western Journal also reported on the ad ^[3]. A Justice Department spokesperson told Newsweek the department is committed to protecting the civil rights of all Americans ^[1]. Neither outlet reported a response from Jodeh.

To be fair to the posting, it used "and/or," so a Middle Eastern or South Asian applicant of any faith could have qualified on heritage alone ^[1]. But it still put a religious identity, and national-origin categories, at the top of a public job qualification list. That is the problem.

What the Law and the Constitution Say

Federal guidance is clear on the principle. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says it is illegal for an employer to publish a job advertisement that shows a preference for, or discourages applicants, because of religion or national origin, among other protected traits ^[4]. Newsweek noted that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars covered employers from discriminating on the basis of religion or national origin, and that the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act bars religion-based discrimination in employment ^[1]. Whether a legislative caucus internship falls squarely under those laws is a question for lawyers. Whether it honors their spirit is not.

The Constitution points the same way. Article VI declares that "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification" for federal office ^[5]. That clause binds the national government, but it states a founding conviction Americans have carried for more than two centuries: public service belongs to citizens of every faith and of none, and government should not sort people by creed.

Colorado Has Set the Standard Itself

Colorado officials know this standard well, because they have enforced it hard against Christians. The state used the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act against Lorie Smith, a Christian web designer who did not want to create wedding websites that conflicted with her faith, until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in her favor in 2023 ^[6]. If Colorado's anti-discrimination law is a rule that binds a Christian small business owner, it is certainly a rule that should guide the state Capitol itself.

Equal treatment cannot mean one standard for a believer in Littleton and another for a caucus in Denver. The principle that protects a Muslim job seeker from being turned away because of his faith is the very same principle that protects a Baptist, a Catholic or a Jewish applicant from being screened out by a qualification he can never meet.

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Outreach Is Welcome. Religious Gatekeeping Is Not.

None of this is an attack on Muslim Coloradans, on Jodeh's right to serve, or on a caucus that wants to bring more young people from immigrant communities into public life. Mentoring and outreach are good things. A caucus can recruit at mosques, community centers and campus groups, and it can say plainly that applicants from those communities are encouraged to apply. What it should not do is make faith or ancestry a box on the qualification list for a paid position in a public building.

The posts came down quickly after the backlash ^[1][2], which suggests someone recognized the problem. The better step now would be for the caucus to repost the internship with neutral qualifications, open to every qualified student who shares an interest in the issues it works on.

What Comes Next

The Justice Department has not said whether it will look further at the posting ^[1]. Colorado's 2027 session, when the internship was set to run, is weeks away ^[1]. Lawmakers of both parties have time to make sure every internship at the Capitol is open on equal terms.

That is not a partisan demand. It is the American promise, written into our founding documents and our civil rights laws: no religious test, for anyone, ever.