U.S. Supreme Court: Can Scripture trump non-discrimination law?
WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court justices are rolling back the sleeves of their robes to wrestle with yet another church and state case this term. The justices should be prepared for some heavy lifting.
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The Christian Legal Society, founded in 1961, described itself to the Supreme Court as "a nationwide association of lawyers, law students, law professors and judges who profess faith in Jesus Christ."
Any student who wishes to become a "voting member of CLS must affirm a commitment to the group's foundational principles by signing the national CLS Statement of Faith. … A shared devotion to Jesus Christ is reflected in the Statement of Faith, the affirmation of which indicates a member's commitment to beliefs commonly regarded as orthodox in the protestant evangelical and Catholic traditions."
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After first appearing to accept CLS's application, the school ultimately decided the society's restrictions on membership violated the institution's non-discrimination policy.
In an exchange of letters, the CLS chapter told Hastings anyone could attend its meetings, but only students who adhered to its Statement of Faith could become voting members, the only type of membership available. The chapter said its exclusion applied only to practicing homosexuals, not to those who remain chaste.
The school responded by saying that as an institution that accepted public funds, it was bound by state and federal laws against discrimination, including discrimination based on sexual orientation. The removal from the list of RSOs had practical effects. Officially, the school would no longer pay travel costs for CLS chapter officers to attend national meetings, the group could not reserve rooms for meetings (though the school continued to allow this) and the society was excluded from some mailings sent to law students.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/12/13/US-Supreme-Court-Can-Scripture-trump-non-discrimination-law/UPI-23981260688500/