March 17, 2006

High Court Rejects Arguments Against the Solomon Amendment

The justices avoided the question of whether the law requiring colleges to provide equal access to military recruiters limits academic freedom.

By Kelly Field

Washington

The U.S. Supreme Court last week upheld the law that allows the federal government to withhold funds from colleges that limit military recruiting, but sidestepped the question of whether the law interferes with academic freedom.

In a 21-page opinion written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., the court rejected arguments that colleges have a First Amendment right to exclude recruiters whose hiring practices conflict with their own antidiscrimination policies.

The court's