Credit: RasyidArt/Shutterstock CNA Staff, Oct 28, 2024 / 17:20 pm The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously Monday in favor of a group of Jewish parents who argued that California is discriminating against religious parents and schools by excluding them from receiving funds from its special education programs. Becket, the public-interest law firm that represented the parents, said in a press release that the Oct. 28 ruling makes it clear that California cannot continue to exclude Jewish families and schools from participating in a federal special education program just because they are religious. “This is a massive win for Jewish families in California,” said Eric Rassbach, vice president and senior counsel at Becket. “It was always wrong to cut Jewish kids off from getting disability benefits solely because they want to follow their faith. The court did the right thing by ruling against California’s bald-faced discrimination.” In the opinion, written by Judge Kim Wardlaw and joined by Judge Morgan Christen and Judge Mark Bennett, the court held that “we easily conclude that the nonsectarian requirement fails the neutrality test” required by the Constitution. A group of Jewish parents with children who require special needs education filed the lawsuit […]

By : Markus McDowell