For Immediate Release: September 27, 2022
Contact: Ryan Hite, Communications Director
Washington, D.C.: “For those watching the court battles over the Orthodox Jewish Yeshiva University in New York City, the issue is brewing into an epic showdown in America of religious liberty as it relates to higher education,” said Ed Martin, president of Phyllis Schlafly Eagles.
At the heart of this legal battle is Yeshiva University’s refusal to officially recognize an LGBTQ student group, a viewpoint obviously at odds with Orthodox Judaism. A New York court ruled against the University, while Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor granted them a stay, only to be overruled by a 5-4 SCOTUS decision saying the university had not yet exhausted their lower court options.
“At the very heart of this matter is a very big question for America,” said Ed Martin, president of Phyllis Schlafly Eagles. “The lower court judge in the matter essentially declared that the religious underpinnings of the school are irrelevant. He said that as a university, Yeshiva fulfills a secular role and cannot claim religious exemption.
“That’s a huge problem, not only for Yeshiva but for all Christian schools. It’s a distinction that simply cannot be allowed to hold water. Demanding that Yeshiva and University are at odds with each makes no sense. It begs the question: is any Christian school out there a religious organization or an educational institution? The answer is, quite frankly, yes. Yes, to both! These two things are not at odds with one another, nor can we let activist judges tear them apart.
“We must repudiate the lie that education is the exclusive responsibility of the state. Education is the province of parents — individually or bound together in common groups — to decide for their children what fits best. It is absolutely unacceptable to allow a lower court judge to demand that the First Amendment gets checked at the door of education. I pray that this judge and any above him in the appeals process swiftly come to the defense of Yeshiva University and of our wonderful Constitution.”
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