Christian Legal Society

Christian Legal Society (CLS) is a non-profit organization of Christian lawyers, judges, law professors, and law students and friends. Its members profess to follow the "commandment of Jesus" to "seek justice with the love of God."[2]

Christian Legal Society
Formation1961
TypeChristian law society and legal network of lawyers and law students
HeadquartersSpringfield, Virginia, United States
Membership
Attorneys, Judges, Professors, Law Students, others
President
Charlie Oellermann
(President & Chairman of the Board)
Staff
  • David Nammo
  • (Executive Director & CEO)
  • Brian Patlen
  • (COO)
  • Peter Smith
  • (CFO)
[1]
Websitehttp://www.christianlegalsociety.org

The organization was founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1961 by four lawyers (Paul Bernard, Gerrit P. Groen, Henry Luke Brinks, and Elmer Johnson) who met to pray together at a 1959 convention of the American Bar Association.

Structure and activities

In the 1980s and 1990s, CLS formed and managed a Christian Conciliation ministry, which later became Peacemaker Ministries and the Institute for Christian Conciliation. There are currently over 50 attorney chapters, 120 law school chapters, and 60 Christian legal aid clinics. CLS is organized into four different branches, including networks and Christian community for attorneys and law students (Attorney Ministries and Law Student Ministries); the Center for Law & Religious Freedom, and Christian Legal Aid.

The Center for Law & Religious Freedom is an advocacy branch of CLS, whose goal in its own words is "to protect and defend religious freedom and the sanctity of human life through submitting amicus curiae legal briefs in cases, representing parties, and legislative work." Christian Legal Aid is a national network of legal aid clinics described as "the ministry of CLS to those below the poverty line."

The Christian Legal Society holds an annual convention in the United States and various regional conferences.[3] It also publishes a bi-annual magazine called The Christian Lawyer, a scholarly journal called The Journal of Christian Legal Thought, CLS Bible Studies, and CLS E-Devotionals. Its former publications include the Quarterly, The Defender, and the Religious Freedom Reporter.

Finances

CLS is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, supported by dues, donations and gifts. Its donors include Alliance Defending Freedom who gave CLS over $420,000 in 2008.[4]

Membership

CLS membership includes attorneys, judges, law students, and others who profess their commitment to the CLS Statement of Faith. They are organized in more than 1100 cities into attorney chapters, law student chapters, and fellowships throughout the United States. To become a member of Christian Legal Society, one must "believe in and sign" CLS’ Statement of Faith.[5]

Goals

Since its founding in 1961, CLS’ nine organizational objectives, as set forth in its amended not-for-profit articles of incorporation, have been:[6]

  • To proclaim Jesus as Lord through all that we do in the field of law and other disciplines;
  • To provide a means of society, fellowship and nurture among Christian lawyers;
  • To encourage Christian lawyers to view law as ministry;
  • To clarify and promote the concept of the Christian lawyer and to help Christian lawyers integrate their faith with their professional lives;
  • To mobilize, at the national and local levels, the resources needed to promote justice, religious liberty, the inalienable right to human life, and biblical conflict reconciliation
  • To encourage, disciple and aid Christian students in preparing for the legal profession;
  • To provide a forum for the discussion of problems and opportunities relating to Christianity and the law;
  • To cooperate with bar associations and other organizations in asserting and maintaining high standards of legal ethics; and,
  • To encourage lawyers to furnish legal services to the poor and needy, and grant special consideration to the legal needs of churches and other charitable organizations.

University of Florida (2007)

On March 16, 2007, the Upsilon Chapter at the University of Florida was officially recognized by the Beta Upsilon Chi (BYX) national board.[7] The University of Florida, however, refused to recognize BYX.[8] The university had refused to recognize the chapter as a registered student organization because the fraternity accepts only men and would not recognize the chapter as a social fraternity because the fraternity accepts only Christians.[9]

On July 10, 2007, the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom and the Christian Legal Society filed suit (Beta Upsilon Chi Upsilon Chapter v. Machen, 586 F.3d 908, 911-912 (11th Cir. 2009)) on behalf of BYX against various officials from the University of Florida for various constitutional violations including unlawful discrimination. During the course of the proceedings, the 11th Circuit Court (United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on appeal from the Northern District of Florida, Leon County) ordered that the chapter be recognized pending the disposition of the appeal. The case was ultimately dismissed as moot when the university amended its policies to permit the registration of the chapter.[10][11][12]

University of California, Hastings College of the Law (2010)

Their case Christian Legal Society v. Martinez reached the Supreme Court of the United States in 2010.[13] It was argued on April 19, 2010 and decided June 28, 2010 against the CLS by a vote of 5-4. The court upheld, against a First Amendment challenge, the policy of the University of California, Hastings College of the Law governing official recognition of student groups, which required the groups to accept all students regardless of their status or beliefs in order to obtain recognition.[14][15][16]

References
  1. Cf. CLS Staff Roster - CLS website
  2. Cf. Luke 11:42; Matthew 23:23.
  3. "CLS Events - Christian Legal Society - Christian Legal Society". www.clsnet.org. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
  4. "IRS form 990". ProPublica. Internal Revenue Service. 2008. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  5. "Statement of Faith | Christian Legal Society".
  6. CLS, "Vision of CLS" - CLS website
  7. University of Florida Chapter. "Upsilon Chapter Archived October 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine" Retrieved on November 4, 2007.
  8. The Alligator. "Christian fraternity suing UF, seeking official recognition." Retrieved on June 24, 2008.
  9. The Gainesville Sun. "All-male Christian fraternity sues UF." Retrieved on November 4, 2007.
  10. http://www.gainesville.com/article/20091028/ARTICLES/910281003/1002?Title=Around-the-Region-Oct-28
  11. Beta Upsilon Chi Upsilon Chapter at the University of Florida v. J. Bernard Machen, in his official capacity as President of the University of Florida, Case Number: 08-13332, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on appeal from the Northern District of Florida (Leon County), 10-27-2009
  12. Zahav, Zahara, "Court orders UF to recognize Christian fraternity", The Alligator, July 31, 2008
  13. Schmidt, Peter, "Constitutional Rights Clash in Battle of Law School and Christian Group", The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 28, 2010
  14. B. Egelko Hastings defends anti-bias policy at high court
  15. "Oral argument transcript in CLS v. Martinez" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-01. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  16. Schmidt, Peter, "Ruling Is Unlikely to End Litigation Over Policies on Student Groups", The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 30, 2010
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