Pace Recognizes Christian Group

Pace Law School has decided to recognize the Christian Law Students’ Association (CLSA), a student organization that was denied recognition last fall. As FIRE reported in January, the Student Bar Association (SBA) denied recognition to the group because it felt that the group’s Christian nature, as expressed in its constitution, would be unwelcoming to non-Christians. Hours after FIRE issued a press release emphasizing the importance of free association, Law School Dean Stephen Friedman intervened by publicly disagreeing with the SBA’s decision and asking Pace’s legal counsel to review the CLSA constitution. Even though legal counsel has not yet made public its revisions to the CLSA constitution—which could include significant changes to the description of the group’s Christian mission—Pace announced today that it will officially recognize the CLSA. FIRE hopes that any official alterations to the constitution do not infringe on the group’s expressive purpose, and will be watching developments closely.