Supreme Court Denies Christian Student Groups’ Appeal in Lawsuit Over Campus Recognition

The Supreme Court announced today that it would not hear an appeal from two campus religious groups over San Diego State University’s refusal to grant them official recognition. The groups, a Christian fraternity and sorority, limit their membership to students who affirm their Christian beliefs. In the case, Alpha Delta Chi-Delta Chapter et al. v. Charles Reed et al., No. 11-744, they argued that the university had violated their First Amendment rights by not officially recognizing them. The policy on student groups at San Diego State, part of the California State University system, prohibits such membership restrictions. The Supreme Court’s announcement today, issued as usual without comment, lets stand a ruling last August by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which upheld the university’s policy on recognizing student groups. The Supreme Court ruled in 2010 in a similar case involving recognition of student groups at the University of California’s Hastings College of Law.