ORLANDO, Fla. – One day after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued an ominous warning that Major League Baseball would be hearing from his office “soon,” an Orlando-based attorney who specializes in the First Amendment cast doubt on any such case proving to be successful.
“I think it’s a political position that he wants to get out,” said Howard Marks, an attorney with Burr & Forman. “But I’m not sure there’s much of a legal First Amendment case that could be brought by him.”
News 6 spoke to Marks after Uthmeier took to X to defend three San Francisco Giants pitchers who wrote Bible verses over their rainbow-colored hats on Pride Night.
Major League Baseball issued the players a formal warning, prompting conservatives like Uthmeier to admonish the league.
“Do you practice religious discrimination in Florida?” Uthmeier posted, tagging MLB in the post.
MLB execs had no issue with acts of protest while cities were burned down by left-wing mobs in 2020. In fact, MLB changed the rules to allow more left-wing messaging!
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) June 16, 2026
Meanwhile, Christians are singled out and targeted for taking part in a religious protest. Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/F90BUwujdC
News 6 reached out to Uthmeier’s office to inquire about the kind of action his office may take. A response has not yet been returned.
A spokesperson with First Liberty Institute, a conservation Christian legal organization, echoed Uthmeier’s position. Cliff Martin, senior counsel at the organization, sent the following statement to News 6:
“Coercing MLB players to wear symbols that violate their religious beliefs is discriminatory. Under the law, employers cannot discriminate against religious employees and must grant religious accommodations, with limited exceptions. If the MLB has allowed players to write messages on their uniforms in the past, it would be potentially unlawful to refuse to allow employees of faith to do so now. The MLB should not coerce its players to wear symbols that violate their religious beliefs.”
Marks, though, pointed out that MLB’s own rules may get in the way of any legal case Uthmeier might build against the league.
MLB’s Collective Bargaining Agreement says that “no alterations, writing or illustrations, other than as authorized herein, are to be made to any part of the uniform.”
“You’re allowed to have a policy like that as long as it’s evenly applied and it’s not view-point discrimination,” said Marks.