The University previously refused to accommodate student’s religious request despite granting exceptions for non-religious reasons.
Madison, WI—First Liberty Institute and the law firm Eimer Stahl LLP announced that the University of Wisconsin granted a religious accommodation request for incoming Jewish freshman Orly Gallo. The decision came after the school received a demand letter stressing the First Amendment’s protection for religious practices.
You can read the letter here.
“Orly takes her faith seriously, so we are pleased the school’s decision now respects and supports her right to freely exercise her beliefs without compromising her physical safety,” said Ryan Walsh, partner at Eimer Stahl LLP.
“We are grateful the University recognized the need to grant Orly’s request, and we fully expect them to implement a policy change so that future students can receive religious accommodations as well,” said Kayla Toney, Counsel for First Liberty.
Orly Gallo, an observant Jewish teen, requested dorm housing close to the Hillel and Chabad buildings at the University of Wisconsin, because her faith requires her to walk to Sabbath services after sundown. The University originally denied her request and placed her on the opposite end of campus, stating that the lottery system for housing applications makes no exceptions, despite her safety concerns. As First Liberty’s letter pointed out, the University makes exceptions for non-religious reasons including on-campus jobs and medical issues, and that means they must accommodate religious students too. The University’s decision to accommodate Orly enables her to safely follow her religious beliefs, which observant Jews have practiced for millennia.
