An Orthodox Jewish university in New York was granted temporary permission by the US Supreme Court for to deny official recognition to an LGBTQ student group as an official campus club.
Yeshiva University asked for an urgent ruling from the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, after a state judge ordered it to register Pride Alliance as a student association.
That would have given Pride Alliance access to certain facilities and services.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s decision is suspending the state judge’s decision pending further deliberation while legal fights continue about the group’s efforts at the religious school.
She gave no reasoning behind the court’s decision or a breakdown of the vote as is often the case in emergency rulings.
The university, an Orthodox Jewish institution in New York, stated in its appeal that as a deeply religious Jewish university, it cannot comply with that state court’s order because it would violate its sincere religious beliefs about how to form its undergraduate students in Torah values.
Responding to Yeshiva University’s claims, the Pride Alliance argued that the university, however, has non-Jews among its student body and offers many classes on subjects other than religion but it denies an entire student community on the basis of sexual orientation.
Founded more than 100 years ago to promote the study of Judaism, Yeshiva University also offers its student body of about 5,000 degrees in a variety of non-religious areas such as biology or accounting.
A group of LGBTQ students formed YU Pride Alliance in 2018 demanding formal recognition as a student association so they could, among other activities, organize lectures and hold meetings.
The Supreme Court, which has been quite receptive to religious freedom claims in recent years, turned sharply to the right under Trump’s presidency and has issued several rulings in favor of religious rights.
In doing so, it has taken an active part in the broader debate in the US on striking a balance between religious rights and the principles of non-discrimination.
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