New Jersey Court Rules Against Scouts

The Boy Scouts of America’s ban on admitting gays violates New Jersey’s laws against discrimination, a state appeals court ruled Monday.

The court said the Scouts’ decision to kick James Dale out of the Boy Scouts because he is gay should be overturned. An attorney for Dale said this is the first time any appeals court has ruled against the Boy Scouts in challenges to their exclusion of homosexuals. A spokesman for the Boy Scouts’ national headquarters said the decision will be appealed to the state Supreme Court.

Dale earned 30 merit badges, seven achievement honors and other awards, and was an Eagle Scout for 12 years.