What was the ruling in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale (2000)?

The ruling in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale (2000) established that the Boy Scouts of America, as a private organization, had the right to exclude individuals from leadership positions based on their sexual orientation. The Supreme Court held that allowing a homosexual to serve as a scout leader would violate the organization's First Amendment right to free expressive association.

The Court determined that the Boy Scouts' values and beliefs regarding homosexual conduct warranted their choice to exclude someone who did not align with those beliefs from a leadership position. This case underscored the tension between anti-discrimination principles and the rights of private organizations to determine their own membership criteria based on their ideological beliefs. The ruling affirmed the idea that private entities have some degree of autonomy in setting standards for membership and leadership, particularly when those standards are closely tied to the organization's expressive purpose.