Justices Decline Case About Public School’s Islamic-Themed Unit

The U.S. Supreme Court declined last week to consider whether a California public school’s curriculum that directed 7th graders to pretend to be Muslims violated the constitutional rights of the children or their parents.

The court’s refusal without comment to hear the appeal—one of hundreds the justices disposed of on Oct. 2, the first day of their 2006-07 term—lets stand a lower-court ruling that the Islamic-themed activities were not “overt religious exercises” that infringed the rights of the family that sued.

Separately, the court announced that it would hear oral arguments on Dec. 4 in two highly anticipated cases already accepted for review—about whether the Seattle and Jefferson County, Ky., school districts may consider race in assigning students to schools. The court will hear a total of two hours of arguments, one each for Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District (Case No. 05-908) and Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education (No. 05-915). ( "Diversity on the Docket," ...