Following up on my previous posts:
- Christian Legal Society Members Sue Idaho Law School For Punishing Them For Expressing Their Religious Beliefs (May 1, 2022)
- U.S. District Court Orders Law School To Rescind No-Contact Orders Issued Against Christian Legal Society Faculty Advisor And Students Who Shared Their Religious Views With Another Student (July 10, 2022)
ABA Journal, Law Students and Professor Who Oppose Same-Sex Marriage Settle Speech Case With School:
A First Amendment action brought against the University of Idaho by Christian Legal Society members who believe the Bible rejects same-sex marriage has settled for $90,000.
The case involves a Christian Legal Society prayer circle at a law school community meeting that was held after someone left a gay slur on a law school whiteboard. An ABA accreditation site visit figures in as well, according to the action.
It was brought by the Alliance Defending Freedom on behalf of 2L Ryan Alexander, 3L Mark Miller, 2022 graduate Peter Perlot and Richard Seamon, a professor at the law school.
Miller and Alexander serve as president and vice president, respectively, of the campus’ Christian Legal Society chapter; Seamon is the club’s adviser. Another law student, identified as Ms. Doe, claimed the plaintiffs’ actions at a community meeting made her feel unsafe, and in response the university sent no-contact orders to Alexander, Miller and Perlot, according to the complaint. …
To be an officer in the Christian Legal Society, one must “renounce unbiblical behaviors,” the complaint states. Such behaviors include deception, malicious speech, getting drunk, abusing drugs, stealing, cheating, using pornography and having sexual relations “other than within a marriage between one man and one woman,” according to the Christian Legal Society community life statement.
During the community meeting, Doe asked about the group’s marriage position, and they cited the Bible as a response, according to the complaint. Afterward, Perlot left a handwritten note for Doe inviting her to a Christian Legal Society event, or to talk to him if she wanted to know more about the organization, the complaint states. …
A week after the community meeting, a panel from the office of the ABA’s managing director of Accreditation and Legal Education was on campus for a regular comprehensive site visit. Students were invited to speak, and several, including Doe, said some Christian Legal Society students “had religious beliefs that were bigoted and anti-LGBTQ+,” according to the complaint. …
Another civil rights lawsuit against the university, brought by law professor Shaakirrah Sanders, is ongoing. Sanders, a Black woman, in 2019 brought discrimination claims against the university on the basis she was unfairly denied an associate dean position and a stipend. In 2021 a U.S. district judge denied the university’s motion for summary judgment on Sanders’ gender and race discrimination claims. A 10-day jury trial, in October, resulted in a mistrial, after the jurors could not reach a verdict. Change of venue motions are pending, according to court records.
Alliance Defending Freedom, Violating Students’ Free Speech Costs University of Idaho $90K:
Three Christian law students and their faculty advisor favorably settled their lawsuit against University of Idaho officials and are free to speak in a manner consistent with their religious beliefs. As part of the settlement, university officials permanently rescinded the no-contact orders they had issued against Peter Perlot, Mark Miller, and Ryan Alexander, members of the Christian Legal Society chapter at the university, and Professor Richard Seamon, CLS’s faculty advisor, and paid $90,000.
- U.S. News & World Report, University of Idaho Settles Students’ Free Speech Lawsuit
- Washington Examiner, University of Idaho Pays Out $90K to Settle Free Speech Lawsuit With Christian Group
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