Christian group given equal treatment with 9th Circuit ruling

The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel and Vice President of Appellate Advocacy John Bursch regarding the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit’s decision in Fellowship of Christian Athletes v. San José Unified School District Board of Education to uphold the First Amendment rights of a Christian student organization and treat it the same as other campus groups:

“Public schools should be fostering real diversity of thought, not discriminating against groups based on their religious or political beliefs. The 9th Circuit was right to hold that San José school officials can’t selectively enforce discriminatory policies against Christian groups, while exempting secular ones. Today’s students will be tomorrow’s legislators, judges, and civic leaders. That’s why it’s so crucial that public high schools and colleges exemplify the First Amendment values they are supposed to be teaching to students. We congratulate Becket, Christian Legal Society, and Seto Wood & Schweickert on this important win.”

In February, ADF attorneys filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the 9th Circuit on behalf of two Christian student organizations, Ratio Christi and Chi Alpha. The 9th Circuit’s en banc decision overrules the court’s prior adverse ruling in ADF’s Alpha Delta Chi case based on ADF’s U.S. Supreme Court victory in Reed v. Town of Gilbert.

Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.

# # #