Washington D.C., Jul 30, 2010 / 00:45 am
Attorneys representing the Catholic League and Ignatius Press have filed an amicus brief in a lawsuit alleging that the California public university system has refused credit for classes that are taught from a religious perspective. The university has defended its standards’ neutrality, contending that the refused courses were sub par.
The brief, filed by the California-based Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), alleges government censorship of faith-based high school curricula and discrimination against religious students. The university system’s policy would in effect prevent private Catholic and other religious high schools from teaching courses according to their religious traditions, PJI attorneys claim.
In August 2005 the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), the Calvary Chapel Christian School in Murrieta, California, and six Calvary Chapel students filed a lawsuit against the University of California. The students challenged the university’s refusal of credit for several of their classes, a refusal which required them to take remedial classes.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the university in the case, which is named ACSI v. Stearns.