In November 2007, anti-LGBTQ organizations filed a lawsuit in federal court, challenging California’s safe schools laws that, among other things, protect students from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

NCLR clients Equality California and the Gay-Straight Alliance Network got involved in the case in order to defend and protect the anti-discrimination laws. In January 2008, shortly after NCLR and our co-counsel filed an amicus brief asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit, the anti-LGBTQ organizations voluntarily dismissed their federal case. Soon after, in March 2008, the anti-LGBTQ organizations filed a similar lawsuit in California state court in San Diego, and NCLR and our co-counsel again filed an amicus brief supporting the California Attorney General’s motion to dismiss the case. Just before the scheduled hearing in that case, in November 2008, the anti-LGBTQ organizations dismissed that case as well, and re-filed in the California state court in Sacramento.

The California Attorney General filed a motion to dismiss this third case, and on March 19, 2009, NCLR and our co-counsel filed another amicus brief supporting the safe schools laws. On June 1, 2009, the Sacramento Superior Court issued a decision affirming that the statutes are lawful and dismissing the lawsuit on all counts.

NCLR’s co-counsel in the case are Lambda Legal, the Transgender Law Center, and the Law Office of David C. Codell.