Seminary Allowed to Dismiss Students Who Have Same-Sex Spouses

A California seminary doesn’t have to face a discrimination lawsuit filed by two students it dismissed because they have same-sex spouses, a federal district court said.

The dismissals were discrimination on the basis of sex, but Fuller Theological Seminary is protected from liability by the Religious Organization Exemption to the Education Amendments under Title IX, Judge Consuelo B. Marshall of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California said Wednesday.

The exemption applies to educational institutions controlled by a religious organization if the prohibition against discrimination violates its religious tenets, the court said. Fuller falls under the exemption ...