The US Supreme Court temporarily blocked a lower court's order forcing Yeshiva University to recognize a student gay pride organization.
The order was signed by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, one of the court's liberal justices who was appointed by former President Barack Obama.
The Supreme Court will make a final decision in the case at a later date. The conservative-leaning court has made several rulings protecting the right to freedom of religion and speech this year, such as a ruling that a high school football coach had the right to kneel on the field in a private prayer after games.
Yeshiva University has been fighting in New York State courts for over a year to defend its right to conduct its internal affairs in accordance with its religious beliefs. The school has further maintained that its First Amendment rights are at stake.
The school turned to the Supreme Court last month after a lower court ordered it to recognize the LGBTQ club.
In YU Pride Alliance v. Yeshiva University, a group of students are demanding that the University officially recognize an LGBTQ Pride Alliance club on campus.
The lower court rulings would force Yeshiva to put its stamp of approval on a club and activities that are inconsistent with the school's Torah values and the religious environment it seeks to maintain on its undergraduate campuses.
"The Torah guides everything that we do at Yeshiva-from how we educate students to how we run our dining halls to how we organize our campus," said Ari Berman, President of Yeshiva University.
"We care deeply for and welcome all of our students, including our LGBTQ students, and continue to be engaged in a productive dialogue with our Rabbis, faculty and students on how we apply our Torah values to create an inclusive campus environment."
"We only ask the government to allow us the freedom to apply the Torah in accordance with our values."
“When secular authorities try to tell Yeshiva University that it is not religious, you know something has gone terribly wrong.” said Eric Baxter, VP and senior counsel at Becket, a non-profit law firm which is aiding YU's bid. “The First Amendment protects Yeshiva’s right to practice its faith. We are asking the Supreme Court to correct this obvious error.”