9th Circuit Hear Arguments In Boy Scouts Case

Yesterday in the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, lawyers argued Barnes-Wallace v. Boy Scouts of America. The appeal involves a 2003 district court decision (275 F. Supp.2d 1259) holding that the Boy Scouts of America is a religious organization and that the preference given by the city of San Diego in leasing property to the scouts violated the Establishment Clause by advancing religion. Extensive background on the case is in this Union-Tribune article. A report on the oral arguments, is in yesterday's San Jose Mercury News.