Opinion ID: 4562748
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Plaintiffs And Challenged Provisions

Text: Appellants here are a non-profit organization, CAPEEM, and three parents on behalf of themselves and their children enrolled in California’s public school system. CAPEEM is a membership organization that exists to promote fair and accurate depictions of Hinduism in the public school system. This is not the first time that CAPEEM has challenged the constitutionality of information about Hinduism provided to public school students. In 2006, CAPEEM filed a lawsuit claiming that California’s recently adopted text books had content that was anti-Hindu, and that the use of such text books violated the Establishment clause. The district court in that case determined that the text books did not contain any information that disparaged Hinduism, and granted summary judgment to the state. Cal. Parents for Equalization of Educ. Materials v. Noonan, 600 F. Supp. 2d 1088, 1119 (E.D. Cal. 2009). CAPEEM did not appeal. In this case, Appellants, instead of challenging text books, challenge certain aspects of 10 CAPEEM V. TORLAKSON the descriptions of Hinduism in the 1998 Standards and 2016 Framework. Appellants first assert that the Standards and Framework do not describe the divine origins of Hinduism or discuss the sacred texts of their religion, while, at the same time, describing the divine origins of the other major religions. As an example, they point to language in the Standards that describes Hinduism as consisting of “beliefs and practices,” and they point as well to a characterization of one of Hinduism’s sacred texts, the Bhagavad Gita, as an important piece of literature in Ancient India. Appellants additionally highlight a phrase in the Framework that describes Hinduism as a “culture that emerged as a belief system.” They argue that these are secular descriptions of Hinduism that are disparaging when read alongside the descriptions of other religions covered by the education materials. Appellants object as well to the Standards’ instruction directing the students to “[d]iscuss the significance of the Aryan Invasions.” Appellants assert that this instruction references a now-debunked theory that invaders from the north entered ancient India, leading to the creation of Hinduism. Also causing Appellants concern is the Framework’s description of the caste system in Ancient India; in particular, Appellants object to the description of caste as a religious belief. Appellants point to a passage in the Framework, which says that “Teachers should make clear to students that [caste] was a social and cultural structure as well as a religious belief.” Appellants argue that the association with the caste system singles out Hinduism for negative treatment CAPEEM V. TORLAKSON 11 when compared with the other religions discussed in the Standards and Framework. These three objections form the basis of most of Appellants’ constitutional claims.