Yeshiva University says Supreme Court gave ‘roadmap’ after it dismissed LGBTQ case

Yeshiva University responds after the US Supreme Court yesterday dismissed the university’s request to intervene in its case against its student Pride club.

The flagship Modern Orthodox university in New York City had asked the highest US court to overrule a state court’s demand that the university recognize a campus LGBTQ club.

“Every faith-based university in the country has the right to work with its students, including its LGBTQ students, to establish the clubs, places and spaces that fit within its faith tradition,” university president Rabbi Ari Berman says in a statement.

“Yeshiva University simply seeks that same right of self-determination. The Supreme Court has laid out the roadmap for us to find expedited relief and we will follow their instructions,” Berman says.

“At the same time, as our commitment to and love for our LGBTQ students are unshakeable, we continue to extend our hand in invitation to work together to create a more inclusive campus life consistent with our Torah values.”

The Supreme Court told Yeshiva University that it must exhaust other appeals before the court will hear the case. The decision was made on procedural grounds, not religious ones, and the justices said the university could appeal to the Supreme Court again down the road.

The case centers on whether the university is a secular institution, bound by New York State human rights laws, or a religious institution with beliefs protected by the First Amendment.