Court: U Iowa officials liable for targeting Christian group

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A federal appeals court says three University of Iowa administrators can be held personally liable for monetary damages for improperly revoking a Christian student group that rejects homosexual relationships. 

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says the administrators are not immune from the lawsuit brought by Business Leaders in Christ because they violated the group’s clearly established constitutional rights to freedom of speech and association.

The case dates to 2017, when the organization barred a student from serving in its leadership after disclosing that he was gay and did not agree with its teachings on sexual morality. 

A federal judge ruled later that the university unevenly applied its human rights policy by revoking the group’s registration.