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Federal Court Orders Southern Illinois University to Recognize Christian Group

果冻传媒app官方

CARBONDALE, Ill., July 11, 2006鈥擸esterday, a federal appeals court ordered Southern Illinois University鈥檚 (SIU鈥檚) School of Law to grant a Christian student group the same rights as secular student groups on its campus. The court ordered a preliminary injunction requiring the school to recognize the group and sent the case back to the lower court for trial. Last year, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (果冻传媒app官方) filed an amicus brief in the case, urging the appeals court to reach this very result.

鈥淭his is a crucial victory for the principles of religious liberty and freedom of association on campus,鈥 stated FIREPresident Greg Lukianoff. 鈥淭his ruling should send a clear message to public colleges and universities that the law will not permit them to continue to use the language of 鈥榥ondiscrimination鈥 to restrict the fundamental freedoms of religious students.鈥

SIU鈥檚 chapter of the Christian Legal Society (CLS) filed suit after law school Dean Peter Alexander revoked the group鈥檚 official recognition, asserting that the group鈥檚 sexual morality requirements violated SIU鈥檚 nondiscrimination policy. CLS policies ban voting members and leaders from engaging in or approving of premarital sex, adultery, or homosexual sex, although any person may attend the group鈥檚 meetings and activities.

鈥淐LS鈥檚 belief requirements are hardly unique for a Christian organization,鈥 said Lukianoff. 鈥淚ndeed, to take away CLS鈥檚 ability to have such rules is to take away its right to credibly express its religious beliefs.鈥

贵滨搁贰鈥檚 amicus brief to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals argued that there is a crucial difference between status (such as race or national origin) and belief, and that belief-based expressive organizations like CLS 鈥渕ust be permitted to make belief-based choices when choosing their leaders and voting members.鈥 The court also noted this critical distinction.

SIU鈥檚 chapter of CLS was represented in court by attorneys from the Christian Legal Society and the Alliance Defense Fund. The case now returns to the district court for trial, but in the meantime, CLS will continue to enjoy the benefits of official recognition under the court鈥檚 order.

鈥淎s FIREhas said many times, a Muslim organization has a right to be Muslim, a Jewish organization has a right to be Jewish, and a Christian organization has a right to be Christian. It is not tolerance but intolerance to forbid such voluntary associations,鈥 concluded Lukianoff.

FIRE is a nonprofit educational foundation that unites civil rights and civil liberties leaders, scholars, journalists, and public intellectuals from across the political and ideological spectrum on behalf of individual rights, due process, freedom of expression, academic freedom, and rights of conscience at our nation's colleges and universities. 贵滨搁贰鈥檚 efforts to preserve religious liberty at Southern Illinois University and on campuses across America can be viewed at thefire.org/defending-your-rights/individual-rights-advocacy/campus-rights-advocacy/campus-rights/religious-liberty.

CONTACT:

Greg Lukianoff, President, 果冻传媒app官方: 215-717-3473; greg@thefire.org

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