Trinity Western law school to be voted on by B.C. lawyers
Thousands of B.C. lawyers are expected to vote today at a special meeting that could determine the future of Trinity Western University’s new law school.
The special vote was called after critics objected to the Christian university’s covenant that forbids all students and staff from sexual relationships outside of marriage between a man and woman.
Victoria lawyer, Michael Mulligan, who triggered the vote, says that is discrimination, and he’s asking the society’s 13,000 members to order the law society to reverse its April decision to accredit the law school in B.C.
“We are assessing an institution that wishes to discriminate based on sexual orientation. In my judgment that is wrong and offensive, and our law society ought not to countenance that or indeed approve the school as they are asking for," said Mulligan.
But TWU president Bob Kuhn disagrees, saying their right to religious freedom must also be protected.
“I think its too easy to characterize freedom of religion as a secondary right these days, but in order to get a religious freedom argument one has to have a pluralistic perspective, that is participation within society from views that are not necessarily your own."
Kuhn says the new law school has met every legal standard put before it.
"We are just hoping cooler minds will prevail and the vote will be made on the basis of legal analysis and not emotional analysis."
If the resolution brought forward by Mulligan is approved, the law society will have one year in which to act.
If the resolution it doesn’t pass, then the earlier endorsement will stand, and the law school graduates will be able to practice in B.C.
The vote is part of a special general meeting taking place by teleconference at 16 locations across B.C. that is expected to be the largest meeting ever for the society.
The results of the vote are expected some time after 8 p.m. PT.
The Law Society of Upper Canada in Ontariovoted against approving the TWU law school earlier this spring, while the Nova Scotia bar society only granted conditional acceptance if the school changes the covenant for law students or allows them to opt out.
The university has responded by launching a court action challenging those decisions.
