Supreme Court considers California law school's discrimination policy
 |
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
The Supreme Court appeared deeply divided Monday over whether a college's insistence that student organizations be open to all violates the constitutional rights of a religious group that wants to exclude gays and those who do not share its core beliefs.
If religious groups must accept anyone who wants to join, said Michael W. McConnell, the lawyer for the Christian Legal Society, "a student who does not even believe in the Bible is entitled to demand to lead a Christian Bible study, and if CLS does not promise to allow this, the college will bar them" from official recognition.
But Gregory G. Garre, the lawyer for the University of California's Hastings College of the Law, said the university has the right to insist that any student group it recognizes agree to admit all students, regardless of status or beliefs. The theories of sabotage have no basis in fact at Hastings or "the history of American education," he said.
After a spirited hour of arguments, it was hard to tell whether there was a majority on the court for either of
But Gregory G. Garre, the lawyer for the University of California's Hastings College of the Law, said the university has the right to insist that any student group it recognizes agree to admit all students, regardless of status or beliefs. The theories of sabotage have no basis in fact at Hastings or "the history of American education," he said.
After a spirited hour of arguments, it was hard to tell whether there was a majority on the court for either of