U.S. House Calls for Religious Accommodation By Mock Trial Group

Last Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Res. 25, a resolution calling on the Board of Directors of the National High School Mock Trial Championship to accommodate students of all religious faiths. At issue is whether the normal Friday-Saturday schedule for the competition will be modified to permit the team from Torah Academy of Bergen County of Teaneck, New Jersey to participate without violating the Jewish Sabbath. Accommodation was made for them in the 2005 competition, but organizers voted to refuse accommodations in the future. This led the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers to withdraw from participation in protest. The House resolution says "the decision of the Board of Directors … to refuse any future accommodations for students who observe their Sabbath on Friday and/or Saturday adversely and wrongly impacts observant Jewish, Muslim, and Seventh-Day Adventist students … [and] is inconsistent with the spirit of freedom of religion or equal protection."