Back in February, Students For Liberty (SFL) joined with the Foundations for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) to submit an amicus brief to the Supreme Court of the United States in an effort to repeal the Ninth Circuit Court’s opinion concerning the Christian Legal Society v Martinez. From the brief: “FIRE and SFL join Petitioner in asserting that the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit erred in forgoing analysis of Petitioners’ expressive association claim, and that allowing the Ninth Circuit’s decision to stand would prove disastrous for student groups holding disfavored or minority viewpoints on public campuses.”
Unfortunately, on the 28th of June, 2010 the Supreme Court announced a 5-4 ruling which undermines the freedom of association on campus. FIRE’s announcement explains the impact this ruling has for student groups on college campuses:
“In a blow to freedom of association and religious liberty on campus, a sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that a public university may require its student organizations to admit any student as a voting member or officer, regardless of whether that student openly disagrees with or is even hostile to the group’s fundamental beliefs.”
It is important to consider “the rights of expressive campus organizations to form around shared beliefs and for the principle that the College Democrats have the right to be Democrats, the College Atheists have the right to be atheists, and the College Christians have the right to be Christians,” as stated by FIRE President Greg Lukianoff. As students of liberty, we know that ideas matter. Especially on college campuses, supposedly an open forum of ideas, students should be able to organize themselves to advance whatever ideas they hold.
A university’s ‘accept all comers’ policy casts student groups like the Christian Legal Society off campus and diminishes the diversity of viewpoints that are supposed to be hallmarks of our public universities. It is imperative that we stand up for the rights of all student groups, whether we agree with their ideas or not.
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It is not new, it is not a surprise that both the godless and the heathen rage and lash out against both Christian and Judeo principles, They gyrate and moan out with passion for Satan. It is not new, just look up. Time is nigh, this world is on its last leg of journey with the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Maranatha to those who are, and anathema to those who are not…..
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