Yeshiva University can go through appeals process without changing LGBTQ+ club’s status

( JNS) Putting aside their differences for the time being, Yeshiva University and the YU Pride Alliance have agreed to a stay of judgment in their ongoing court battle, allowing the university to go through the appeals process without making any changes to the status quo on campus.

The move is the latest action in the case that pits the university against students who want to have an officially recognized LGBTQ+ club on campus.

Yeshiva University claims that as a religious corporation, it is exempt from state rules that provide equal status based on sexual orientation. However, opponents say denying the students equal status violates their constitutional rights under the First Amendment.

In June, the New York State Supreme Court ordered YU to immediately recognize the YU Pride Alliance as it does other school clubs. The university sought a stay of that order and appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court for relief.

After an initial stay was granted by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the full court, in a 5-4 decision, denied Yeshiva University’s request. It ordered the school to take its appeal back to New York state courts, which YU has since done.