CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATION WINS RECOGNITION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
SCHOOL ABANDONS EFFORT TO FORCE CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY CHAPTER TO COMPROMISE ITS RELIGIOUS IDENTITY
IOWA CITY, IA – After an extended legal dispute, the
University of Iowa this week agreed to recognize a Christian Legal Society Law Student Ministries Chapter while allowing it
to retain its religious identity.
The CLS chapter at the University of Iowa College of Law
sought recognition for the 2003 – 2004 academic year. If recognized, the CLS chapter would receive funding from the University
and access to official University activities, among other privileges. In November, 2003, the University’s Office of Student
Life rejected for a third time the Recognition Form the CLS chapter had submitted because the chapter would not include certain
language reflecting the University’s Membership Clause in its constitution.
The Membership Clause states, in part, that the student
organization will not “discriminate” against any individual based on an individual’s “creed,” “religion,” and “sexual
orientation.” The chapter refused to include the University’s Membership Clause in its constitution because of the group’s
desire to select members and officers based upon their shared religious beliefs and creed, including their viewpoint regarding
homosexual conduct.
The Center for Law and Religious Freedom intervened, arguing
that the University’s decision to deny recognition violated the CLS chapter’s rights under the First Amendment, which protects
a religious student organization’s ability to define its identity and mission through its membership and leadership
qualifications. The Center’s counsel sent a demand letter to the University, traveled to Iowa to meet with the University’s
General Counsel and the Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, and ultimately appealed the matter to the
University’s Vice President for Student Services and Dean of Students. Center attorneys submitted an amended CLS chapter
constitution with the appeal which contained language mirroring the University’s non-discrimination requirement subject to
three conditions - conditions which are drawn from the Holy Bible and safeguard the chapter’s identity as an evangelical
Christian association. First, CLS chapter members and officers must agree with the mission and purposes of the chapter and the
Statement of Faith set forth in the chapter constitution. Second, all CLS chapter members and officers must endeavor to live
their lives in a manner consistent with the Statement of Faith, including abstinence form all forms of sexual conduct and
relations outside the confines of traditional marriage between a man and a woman. Finally, CLS chapter officers are subject to
a code of conduct outlined in the chapter constitution. These provisions make it clear that while CLS welcomes all students to
their meetings and events, whatever their beliefs or lifestyle, membership and leadership is reserved for those who believe and
practice traditional orthodox Christian viewpoints.
“Christian Legal Society is pleased that the University of
Iowa has recognized that a religious student organization does not ‘discriminate’ by reserving the right to advocate a holy
lifestyle according to the teachings of the Bible, and requiring its members and leaders to do the same,” said CLRF Chief
Litigation Counsel Steven H. Aden. “CLS’s stand, and its victory, were not just for itself, but for every devout student of
faith who seeks to practice a lifestyle that it separate from the mainstream, including Orthodox Jews, Muslims, and many
others.”
View Press Release on CLS Website
Christian Legal Society, a 42 year-old nationwide association
of Christian attorneys, law students, law professors, and judges,
established the Center for Law and Religious Freedom in 1975. The
Center is among the most respected voices in the religious liberty
arena.
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