Christian principal axed after opposing Matthew Shepard play has lawsuit revived by appeals court

A Christian former school administrator's litigation against a school district in Colorado alleging that anti-Christian discrimination played a role in his termination is expected to continue following a federal court decision earlier this week.

In an opinion published Tuesday, a three-judge panel on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals partially reversed a lower court opinion that dismissed a lawsuit filed by former Ponderosa High School Athletic Director and Assistant Principal Corey McNellis after he was fired for raising religious objections to an after-school production about Matthew Shepard.

While the appellate court affirmed the lower court's dismissal of McNellis' claims that the school district engaged in unconstitutional free speech retaliation, it reversed the dismissal of the allegations of discrimination he made. The litigation against the Douglas County School District stems from McNellis' 2020 termination.

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