U.S. District Judge Randal Hall denied the request of Jennifer Keeton, an Augusta State University (ASU) counseling student who was forced to take remedial courses or face expulsion for voicing her beliefs against homosexuality. Keeton has requested a court order that would have kept her from having to submit to “sensitivity” training while her case is being considered.
Hall said the ASU could expel Keeton if she failed to attend the remediation plan designed to “address issues of multicultural competence and develop understanding and empathy.”
The judge denied favoring one side over the other. “This is not a case pitting Christianity against homosexuality . . . [but] the right of a public university to enforce reasonable academic standards.
Adam Kissel, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Education, said, “The school’s counseling ethical code might have enough of a speech code or thought reform component that it really could violate a Christian’s beliefs.
“This is by no means the end of the case. The judge still has to think about what the ethical code means in this context, and the degree to which the remediation plan really is a curricular requirement or an invasion of a student’s private beliefs.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Read more about Jennifer Keeton’s journey.
Read an analysis by Candi Cushman, CitizenLink education analyst.
Read a copy of the complaint, Keeton v. Anderson-Wiley.
Listen to the audio/video interview with Jennifer Keeton.
Learn more about ADF’s University Project.
Read more information about theWard v. Wilbanks case at Easter Michigan University.
Learn more about the settled lawsuit at Missouri State University.
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