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Julea Ward was just a few credits away from her counseling degree when Eastern Michigan University expelled her. As part of her practicum, the school assigned Julea to a homosexual case study. As a Christian, Julea didn't think that she could see the student -- not because she didn't want to help, but because she didn't want to affirm his lifestyle. After consulting her supervisor, Julea referred the student to another counselor -- which is, as her attorneys pointed out, "a common, professional practice." Weeks later, the university hauled Julea before a disciplinary committee and told her she'd have to enroll in a "remediation" program. When she refused, they kicked her out of the program. For the last three years, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has fought its way through the courts to vindicate Julea. Yesterday, they succeeded. After a blockbuster ruling in January, Eastern Michigan finally agreed to settle the case this week -- capping a long and difficult legal battle. As part of the agreement, the university will not only pay Julea an undisclosed amount of money, but also remove the expulsion from her record. The 6th Circuit Court, whose ruling was the final nail in Eastern Michigan's coffin, blasted the school for bullying Julea for her faith. "A reasonable jury could conclude that Ward's professors ejected her from the counseling program because of hostility toward her speech and faith... A university cannot compel a student to alter or violate her belief systems based on a phantom policy as a price to obtaining a degree." After a compelling argument from ADF, the court agreed: "Tolerance is a two-way street."

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