Constitutional Law

Justices turn away appeal over college admissions

By By The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES ? The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from two Christian high schools in Southern California that wanted the University of California to grant college-prep credit for courses with religious viewpoints.

The justices, without comment, denied a hearing to the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Association of Christian Schools International, which accused the university of violating freedom of speech and religion for refusing to honor some Christian high school courses when considering UC admissions eligibility.

Last January, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Los Angeles federal judge's ruling that the university did not discriminate against Calvary Chapel Christian School in Murrieta and Calvary Baptist School in La Verne.

In 2008, U.S. District Judge S. James Ortero said the schools had failed to prove that religious intolerance, rather than academic merit, led to rejection of Christian course credit.

Full post as published by First Amendment Center on October 12, 2010 (boomark / email).