Attorney General Paxton joined an Amicus Brief along with 15 other states to fight for the rights of Fuller Theological Seminary, which expelled two students who entered same-sex marriages after their admission. The Seminary’s religious liberty, which serves as the basis for its removal of these students, is protected not only under the First Amendment, but also under the Department of Education’s 2020 religious freedom regulation. But the former students urge a much narrower interpretation—and ultimately incorrect and unconstitutional interpretation—of the First Amendment and federal regulations.
“Fuller Theological Seminary is clearly a religious organization, and it should come as no surprise that same-sex marriages conflict with its biblical views on sex and marriage—which are expressly set forth in its ethical and moral community standards that all students, including those dismissed, agree to,” Attorney General Paxton said. “The Constitution requires the government to protect the religious beliefs of its citizens and organizations like Fuller, and it’s as simple as that. This attack against Fuller is just the latest volley in the war against religious liberty in America, and I won’t stand for it.”
Read the Amicus Brief here.