Madison, Wis., Sep 21, 2011 / 03:51 am
The University of Wisconsin at Madison must pay $500,000 in legal costs to the university’s Catholic group after a court ruled that it wrongly denied student funds to the group.
“Universities should recognize the constitutional rights of Christian students and ministries just as they do for all other students and campus groups,” said Jordan Lorence, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, which filed the lawsuit.
“Sadly, the University refused to do so, and instead squandered money by trying to defend the indefensible: blatant, unlawful discrimination against Christian students and ministries.”
In September 2010 the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that university officials violated the First Amendment by funding the events of other student organizations but refusing to fund certain events of Badger Catholic, a registered student group then known as the Catholic Foundation.