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Title: Backing for Christian Group in Supreme Court Case Publication: Inside Higher Ed |
Country: United States |
Published Date: February 08, 2010 |
The Christian Legal Society is attracting wide support -- particularly from religious organizations -- in its U.S. Supreme Court battle over whether public colleges and universities can enforce their anti-bias rules against religious groups. In December, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case involving the society's chapter at the Hastings College of Law of the University of California. Hastings maintains that it is within its rights to deny recognition to groups, like the society, that engage in forms of discrimination (against gay people, for example) that the university bars. But the society maintains that enforcing such rules violates its freedom of speech and religion.
Among the religious groups that filed briefs backing the society last week are the American Islamic Congress, the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, the National Association of Evangelicals, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Others filing briefs on behalf of the Christian Legal Society include the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, the College Republican National Committee, and 14 states. The briefs may be found here.
The deadline for groups backing Hastings to file briefs is next month.