Federal Court: University of Iowa Illegally Targeted Religious Groups

[Valin]

Washington Free Beacon

Jeffrey Cimmino
February 7, 2019

A federal court ruled Wednesday that the University of Iowa "illegally targeted religious groups for requiring their leaders to believe in and follow their faith," a victory for a Christian student organization known as a Business Leaders in Christ (BLinC).

The court "ruled that the university must end its unequal treatment of religious student organizations" and granted BLinC "a permanent place on campus," according to a press release from the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which served as counsel to BLinC.

In November 2017, the university revoked BLinC's campus registration, claiming the requirement that group leaders sign a statement of faith affirming the group's religious beliefs violates the school's antidiscrimination policy. The decision to revoke BLinC's registration came after a student filed a complaint with the university after he was denied the chance to serve in a leadership position in the group because he was openly gay and disagreed with the group's views on marriage and sexuality.

It became known last week during court arguments that the University of Iowa placed 32 religious groups on probation for supposedly violating the school's antidiscrimination policy. The university continued to permit "the largest groups on campus, fraternities and sororities—which comprise almost 20 percent of the student body—to remain single-sex, as well as sports clubs, feminist groups, and advocacy groups to limit their leaders and even members to students who share their mission."

The court determined the university applied its Human Rights Policy unevenly.

(Snip)