Case Name: Boy Scouts of America v. Dale
Year: Argued 2000 ; Decided 2000
Result: 5-4 in favor of Boy Scouts of America
Related Constitutional Issue/ Amendment: 1st Amendment and the freedom of speech, press, and assembly
Civil Rights or Civil Liberties: Civil Rights
Significance/ Precedent: the Court held that "applying New Jersey's public accommodations law to require the Boy Scouts to admit Dale violates the Boy Scouts' First Amendment right of expressive association." In effect, the ruling gives the Boy Scouts of America a constitutional right to bar homosexuals from serving as troop leaders.
Quote from Majority Opinion: "[t]he Boy Scouts asserts that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the values it seeks to instill," and that a gay troop leader's presence "would, at the very least, force the organization to send a message, both to the young members and the world, that the Boy Scouts accepts homosexual conduct as a legitimate form of behavior.
6-Word Summary: Boy Scouts of America ban homosexuals
Year: Argued 2000 ; Decided 2000
Result: 5-4 in favor of Boy Scouts of America
Related Constitutional Issue/ Amendment: 1st Amendment and the freedom of speech, press, and assembly
Civil Rights or Civil Liberties: Civil Rights
Significance/ Precedent: the Court held that "applying New Jersey's public accommodations law to require the Boy Scouts to admit Dale violates the Boy Scouts' First Amendment right of expressive association." In effect, the ruling gives the Boy Scouts of America a constitutional right to bar homosexuals from serving as troop leaders.
Quote from Majority Opinion: "[t]he Boy Scouts asserts that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the values it seeks to instill," and that a gay troop leader's presence "would, at the very least, force the organization to send a message, both to the young members and the world, that the Boy Scouts accepts homosexual conduct as a legitimate form of behavior.
6-Word Summary: Boy Scouts of America ban homosexuals