Another University of Iowa student group promoting Christian beliefs has won a ruling by US District Judge Stephanie Rose stating that the university acted unlawfully and wrongly in deciding that religious beliefs of its leaders violated school policy.
Rose also ruled that at least three UI administrators would be held personally liable to pay for damages awarded to the plaintiffs, since the officials should have understood how to be fair after her previous ruling.
InterVarsity is a Christian ministry that has numerous college chapters across the country. They were told in June 2018 that the requirement of leaders to affirm to a faith statement was not in accordance with UI’s Human Rights Policy, which forbids discrimination based on creed, race, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, and other characteristics.
InterVarsity group was granted a summary judgment by Judge Rose on the basis that the group’s First Amendment rights to freedom of speech, association and religion were violated.
However, she rejected a similar argument over UI impermissibly meddling in the private governance of a religious group to rule in favor of the university, stating that the plaintiff’s cases were not similar or applicable to the circumstances.
