Posted on Mon, Dec. 18, 2006
Pa. Christian college sues government over job posting service
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH - A Christian college in Pennsylvania and a religious law group have sued the state and federal governments over the school's bid to use a state-funded employment service to post openings for jobs with religious requirements.
Attorneys representing the Christian Legal Society and Alliance Defense Fund filed the suit Thursday in Pittsburgh on behalf of Geneva College in Beaver Falls and the Association of Faith-Based Organizations, a coalition based in Springfield, Va.
The plaintiffs say the school is being denied the use of the employment service, which includes an Internet-based service called CareerLink, because of a nondiscrimination policy barring job postings that require applicants to have particular religious backgrounds.
"Religious organizations have every legal right to hire employees that share their beliefs and values," Timothy J. Tracey, a lawyer for the Christian Legal Society's Center for Law and Religious Freedom, said in a statement.
The plaintiffs want the nondiscrimination policy declared unconstitutional when it applies to religious organizations and the government ordered to allow faith-based groups to post their employment notices on CareerLink.
The suit names U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao and Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry Stephen M. Schmerin. A U.S. Department of Labor spokesman declined immediate comment. State labor department spokesman Barry Ciccocioppo also declined comment, saying officials had not seen the lawsuit.
Christian Legal Society, based in Annandale, Va., is an association of Christian lawyers, law students, professors and judges, according to its Web site.
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