December 6, 2023 |
Photo – Judge Alan Johnson – Courtesy University of Wyoming
The six University of Wyoming students who sued their sorority for admitting a man who says he is transgender are taking on the lower court judge who tossed their lawsuit earlier this year.
In a 97-page brief submitted to a federal appeals court, the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sisters allege U.S. District Court Judge Alan Johnson “fabricated obstacles to avoid” hearing the case.
The filing with the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals states that the essential question in the case is what “is the definition of ‘woman,’ a term that Kappa has used since 1870 to prescribe membership, in Kappa’s governing documents.”
During the spring semester, Jaylyn Westernbroek, Hannah Holtmeier, Allison Coghan, Grace Choate, Madeline Ramar and Megan Kosar sued the sorority for allegedly breaking its bylaws, breaching its contract and misleading members by admitting Artemis Langford, a person who claimed to be a woman after being admitted to the university as a man.
In their appeal, the sorority sisters claim the liberal district court judge reached the wrong “conclusion by applying the wrong law and ignoring the factual assertions in the complaint.”
In his court findings, Judge Johnson wrote that the court cannot interfere with how the sorority determines its membership since it’s a private, voluntary organization.
The court filing also accuses Langford of inappropriate behavior that invaded their privacy “and caused emotional distress in a personal and unique way.”
Judge Johnson ruled earlier this year that the claims of the sorority sisters about Langford were “unbefitting of a federal court.”
The sorority sisters are asking the appeals court should reverse the district court’s dismissal of their claims. The claimants requested a hearing before a judge to consider the matter.
Attorneys for Kappa Kappa Gamma will have to file a response.
