Canadian court upholds denial of accreditation to Christian law school

June 30, 2016

Upholding a lower court ruling, the Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled that the Law Society of Upper Canada was justified in denying accreditation to Trinity Western University, an evangelical school whose students are required to pledge to avoid sexual activity outside of marriage between a man and a woman.

Comparing the pledge to rules against interracial dating, the court ruled found the pledge “deeply discriminatory to the LGBTQ community” and ruled that “public interest in ensuring equal access to the profession justified a degree of interference with the appellants’ religious freedoms.”

“To find that religious freedom was infringed, as the court did, but then to rule that the infringement is justified despite evidence that the infringement was not necessary, is very troubling,” said Andre Schutten, counsel for the Association for Reformed Political Action.

 

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Further information:

• Ontario Appeal Court upholds law society’s stand on Trinity Western University (The Globe and Mail)
• Ontario court rules against Trinity Western University law school accreditation (The Catholic Register)
• Canadian Court OK's Ontario's Refusal To Accredit Christian Law School (Religion Clause)
• Ontario court upholds decision denying accreditation to Christian law school (CWN, 7/3/15)