A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the University of Iowa cannot take away a Christian student group’s registered status after it barred a gay student from a leadership role.
U.S. District Judge Stephanie M. Rose granted a permanent injunction forcing the university to recognize Business Leaders in Christ as a registered student organization.
The university had claimed that the group violated its human rights policy by blocking a gay student from holding a leadership position.
In her ruling, Rose said the university didn’t enforce its policy equally by allowing other groups to limit membership based on protected characteristics, including race, gender and religion.
