On the plus side, this would allow you to become imam of the local
mosque. :-)
Sent from my iPhone
On Feb 12, 2010, at 8:52, [email protected] wrote:
U.S. Supreme Court to Decide Whether Christian Student Clubs Can
Prefer Christian Leaders
By Kathleen Gilbert
SAN DIEGO, February 11, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Scores of
Christian and religious organizations have filed at least 21 amicus
curiae briefs supporting the Christian Legal Society (CLS) against a
lawsuit in the U.S. Supreme Court challenging the society's right to
select Christian leaders for its group at a University campus.
The case, filed against University of California Hastings College of
the Law in San Francisco, will essentially test whether law schools
can deny official recognition to student chapters of the Christian
Legal Society.
While CLS welcomes anyone to attend meetings and events, it requires
that the officers and voting members who provide direction for the
Society agree with and abide by the group’s Statement of Faith. UC H
astings considers CLS’s faith requirement to be in conflict with the
school’s non-discrimination policies.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of UC Hastings,
relying on one of the Ninth Circuit’s earlier rulings that had barre
d a Christian high school club from requiring that its leaders affir
m a statement of faith. The U.S. Supreme Court accepted CLS's reque
st to appeal that decision in December.
The Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) submitted an amicus curiae brief
for the case last Thursday, arguing that UC Hastings’ actions are in
consistent with prior Supreme Court freedom of speech and associatio
n rulings.
“Once again, the Ninth Circuit is out of step with other federal cou
rts around the country, which have upheld the common-sense principle
that a Christian or other faith-based student club should be able t
o have members and leadership who agree with and abide by their stat
ement of faith and exclude those who do not," commented PJI affiliat
e attorney Pete Lepiscopo, the author of the brief. "The implicatio
ns of this case are far reaching.”
“Freedom of speech includes freedom of association," said Brad Dacus
, president of Pacific Justice Institute.
"It would be absurd to demand that an atheist student club allow
people of faith to become officers, or that the Democratic student
club allow itself to be overrun with Republicans," said Dacus.
"Such rules would quickly destroy the identity of these and
countless other groups, leading to intellectual dullness, not
diversity.
"In the same way, we think it is self-evident that the Christian
Legal Society should have the ability to choose Christian leaders
for itself."
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