Supreme Court Should Reject Discrimination at Schools
The U.S. Supreme Court today announced it will hear a dispute from California involving an evangelical Christian club at a public law school that wants recognition and funding as an official campus organization, even though it discriminates on religious grounds.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State urged the high court to use the case as a vehicle to make it clear that groups seeking public funding and official recognition on public college campuses must be open to all.
“This case is about fundamental fairness,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “If the student religious group wins, it will mean some students will be compelled to support clubs that won’t even admit them as members. That’s just not right.”
The dispute involves a branch of the Christian Legal Society at Hastings College of Law at the University of California in San Francisco. The group sought funding and official status from the school, even though it effectively bars gays and non-Christians from membership by requiring all officers and voting members to sign an evangelical Christian statement of faith.
Hastings College of Law bans discrimination against gays and lesbians, as well as religious discrimination, and officials there said they did not want to support a club that was not open to all.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Hastings.
Americans United filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the appeals court and says the Supreme Court should uphold the 9th Circuit decision.
“Public schools have every right – indeed, an obligation – to refuse to advance religious discrimination,” Lynn said. “Groups that wish to engage in discrimination should not expect public subsidies.”
The case is titled Christian Legal Society v. Martinez.
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Lets see, I didnt one penny of my money going to federally funded abortion , grants and tuition to illegals when citizens couldnt even get them, and tax breaks and deductions to gay couples when single of all persuasion dont get equal tax breaks.
Why should public money support any campus organization that is voluntary or organized by individuals for what ever reason? How ironic that many of these same Law schools and Campus fought even letting our own ROTC and Military recruiters on campus. Seems we were much better off and "open" when everything inclluding professor and teacher unions , when Don't ask dont tell, ie dont judge, was the unwritten law of the land. Now only the lawyers benefit from all the new minusa oc civil rights and public money manipulation.
Naming new "protected classes" to State or Federal Constitutions, or new civil rights not named in the Constitution, has only created more discrimination , not less. A public institution should allow public use of facilities, not determine that any private group gets public money. This is government (the university) and government employees ( the law school and staff) determining what religion and group they will support. Environmentalism and Gay rights groups have become as pernicious and power hungary as old school religion. My way or the highway. As the Constitution controls the naming or refuses naming or supporting any one religion over another, the intent was to not give more political control of any one group over another, ie environmentalist over farmers, gays over catholics or protestants. Modern rights advocates fit most of the Dictionary definitions of RELIGION. That is what the Supremes should address! These lawsuits are also taking public money and are as disgusting as some of the medical liability lawsuits that cost Doctors so much. What a joke.
I don't want one penny of my tax dollars supporting ANY religious organization. The 1st Amendment, is designed to keep Gov. out of our religious freedoms, that guarantee is reciprocal, I don't want any religious organization involved in our Gov.
Mixing any religion with any gov, is a formula for either disaster or oppression. Just look how well it works in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Israel just to name a few.