A religious student group claims Shippensburg University has violated its free-speech rights by threatening to shut it down because it requires members to be Christians and its president to be a man.

A lawyer for Christian Fellowship of Shippensburg University says the group was expelled from the state-owned university in February amid a dispute over its membership and leadership requirements.

Lawyer Steven Aden of the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom says the group was later told it could resume operating as a student organization, but members still worry about  the prospect of further sanctions.

Aden's organization filed a federal lawsuit against the university on Wednesday.  A university spokesman says school officials haven't seen the lawsuit but are reviewing the allegations.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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