John West, of the Seattle-based Discovery Institute, said: “It’s part of a pattern. There is basically a war on anyone who dissents from Darwin and we’ve seen that for several years. This is free speech, freedom of conscience 101.”
William Becker, Mr Coppedge’s lawyer, claimed his client was singled out because his superiors perceived his belief in intelligent design to be religious.
He said: “David had this reputation for being a Christian, for being a practicing one. He did not go around evangelising or proselytising.
“But if he found out that someone was a Christian he would say, ‘Oh that’s interesting, what denomination are you?’ He’s not apologising for who he is. He’s an evangelical Christian.”
In legal documents Mr Coppedge claimed other factors also led to his demotion, including his opposition to same-sex marriage and his request to rename the annual holiday party a “Christmas party”.