Center Attorney to Participate in "Webinar" About Student Group Cases
Steven H. Aden, Chief Litigation Counsel of Christian Legal Society's Center for Law & Religious Freedom, will participate in a "webinar" entitled "Membership Restrictions in Christian Student Groups: Legal and Practical Challenges for Colleges & Universities." Christian Legal Society is sponsoring the event along with the Council on Law in Higher Education (CLHE). Also participating in the discussion will be Ian Cooper, counsel for Southern Illinois University officials in the lawsuit filed against them by the CLS chapter at that school. SIU revoked the chapter's recognition on the ground that it "discriminates" on the basis of religion and sexual orientation by drawing its leaders and voting members from among those who profess faith in Christ and abide by Christian ethical standards in the area of human sexuality.
The webinar will occur on March 6 from 2:00 to 3:30 pm eastern time, and a special discount is available to CLS members. Space is limited, so we encourage you to register now. Content will include: (1) recent cases involving university punishment of religious student groups under "non-discrimination" rules; (2) the constitutional questions raised by such university actions; (3) public policy questions raised by such disputes; and (4) what the future might hold in this area. Please click the following link to register:
www.clhe.org
Justice Department Launches First Freedom Project
The United States Department of Justice recently launched the "First Freedom Project," an initiative designed to ensure vigorous enforcement of laws protecting religious freedom and to educate members of the public about their rights. The initiative includes: (1) a commitment to increased enforcement in all areas of the Department’s jurisdiction; (2) the creation of a Department-wide Religious Freedom Task Force, chaired by Assistant Attorney General Wan Kim, to review Department policies, practices and litigation to ensure that religious liberty is protected; (3) a series of regional training seminars for religious and community leaders, government officials, and attorneys to learn about religious freedom laws from senior Department of Justice officials. The first seminars are slated for Kansas City, Missouri on March 29, Tampa, Florida on April 25, Seattle, Washington on May 10, with more to come throughout 2007; and (4) the launch of a new website, www.firstfreedom.gov, to provide information and literature about all of the Department’s activities in this area.
CLS member attorneys in the Kansas City, Tampa, and Seattle areas are encouraged to participate in the scheduled seminars.
Center Files Supreme Court Amicus Brief in Student Speech Case
The CLS Center filed a "friend of the court" brief with the United States Supreme Court in a potentially important case involving the First Amendment limits on the power of public school officials to restrict student expression. The case is Morse v. Frederick, No. 06-278.
The principal of a Juneau, Alaska, public high school suspended student Joseph Frederick for unveiling a banner reading "Bong Hits for Jesus" during an Olympic torch relay. The school had released students from school to witness the event. Frederick apparently did not intend to convey any particular message with his banner; he instead simply hoped to garner attention, particularly from the television cameras that were present. Frederick was across the street from school property when he displayed the banner. The principal suspended him on the ground that the banner encouraged illegal drug use, something contrary to the message the school tries to send students. The Court of Appeals held that this violated his Free Speech Clause rights.
Although the CLS Center has no sympathy for Frederick's tasteless banner and his juvenile stunt, it filed a brief to alert the Court to problems that might arise if the Court ruled in the school district's favor. In their briefs, the district and some of its supporting amici sought undue power over student speech. The CLS brief argued that if the Court conferred such broad power on public school officials, they would almost certainly employ that power to suppress controversial religious expression, including the right to associate around shared convictions and moral standards.
The Center for Law & Religious Freedom is the advocacy ministry of the Christian Legal Society, which is the professional association founded in 1961 of Christian attorneys, judges, law professors, law students, and friends throughout the United States.
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