Trinity Western wins legal victory to open Christian law school
Posted November 1, 2016 9:55 am.
Last Updated November 1, 2016 12:33 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A Christian university in the Fraser Valley has secured a decisive legal victory in its bid to open a law school in BC.
The BC Court of Appeal has ruled unanimously in favour of Trinity Western University, agreeing that graduates of the school’s proposed law school be allowed to work in the province and be recognized by the BC Law Society.
That agency had previously opted not to recognize future graduates because of Trinity’s requirement that students sign a so-called community covenant pledging that sexual intimacy should only occur within a heterosexual marriage. The society adds the policy discriminates against gays and lesbians hoping to enter the legal profession. Late last year, the BC Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Fraser Valley school.
This decision marks the latest development in the school’s quest to clinch cross-country accreditation for its future lawyers.
Trinity’s code of conduct has stirred up controversy elsewhere. In July, the society representing lawyers in Nova Scotia said it would not challenge a Nova Scotia Appeal Court decision to allow the university’s law graduates to work in that province.
A similar legal battle is underway in the Ontario Court of Appeal, though the court ruled in favour of that province’s law society.
