News from around the world. Curated by Mark McDowell. Posts do not constitute agreement or endorsement.
Former Bremerton High School assistant football coach Joe Kennedy stands at the center of the field on the 50 yard line at Bremerton Memorial Stadium, Nov. 5, 2015. Kennedy is in a conflict with the Bremerton School District over his silent prayer after football games. (Larry Steagall/Kitsap Sun) A lower…
A statue of Mary near the U.S. flag a first grade classroom during former U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ visit to Sacred Heart Academy in Grand Rapids in 2020. The parish and school are suing the state over the inclusion of LGBTQ protections into the state civil rights act. (Cory…
A statue of Mary near the U.S. flag a first grade classroom during former U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ visit to Sacred Heart Academy in Grand Rapids in 2020. The parish and school are suing the state over the inclusion of LGBTQ protections into the state civil rights act. (Cory…
A statue of Mary near the U.S. flag a first grade classroom during former U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ visit to Sacred Heart Academy in Grand Rapids in 2020. The parish and school are suing the state over the inclusion of LGBTQ protections into the state civil rights act. (Cory…
It’s just waiting for someone to walk through it. getty The Supreme Court has slowly and steadily busted a hole in the wall between church and state when it comes to education. AG opinion: Statute barring charter school operators from religious affiliation unconstitutional (nondoc.com) In a fifteen-page opinion issued December…
Takeaway: An employee who has been fired may attempt to challenge the dismissal under one or more anti-discrimination laws. However, the worker is required to provide enough evidence in support of the claim to merit a court’s review—a simple allegation of wrongdoing is not enough. An employer’s best defense…
B.C.’s Court of Appeal has upheld a lower court’s decision, saying the province’s COVID-19 gathering and events restrictions were constitutionally valid. “The ban on in-person gatherings for religious worship fell within a range of reasonable outcomes and proportionately balanced the appellants’ freedoms with the attainment of critically important public health…
What just happened? On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in 303 Creative v. Elenis , an important free speech case that involves a wedding website designer and has important religious liberty implications. What is the case about? According to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) (the law firm defending…
UVA Health (File) CHARLOTTESVILE, Va. (WHSV) – The Founding Freedoms Law Center joined with the law firm of CrossCastle, PLLC to file a class-action lawsuit against the University of Virginia (UVA) Health System in federal court on Dec. 13. The lawsuit, which names six former employees, is filed on behalf…
The Michigan Capitol in Lansing is seen in this file photo. (CNS photo/Dan Meloy, Detroit Catholic) LANSING, Mich. (CNS) — A Catholic parish in the Diocese of Lansing has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court to protect its right to hire parish employees and staff for its grade school…
President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed a bill into law that he says will ensure that same-sex marriage remains legal but that critics say goes much further than that by also threatening religious liberty. The bill, the Respect for Marriage Act ( H.R. 8404 ), defines marriage as “between 2…
The Michigan Capitol in Lansing is seen Nov. 30, 2021. (CNS photo/Dan Meloy, Detroit Catholic) LANSING, Mich. (CNS) — A Catholic parish in the Diocese of Lansing has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court to protect its right to hire parish employees and staff for its grade school who…
Unsplash photo by Element5 Digital. Vermont will now apply its tuition benefit program to families who choose to send their children to religious schools. In 1869, Vermont established its Town Tuition Program to provide vouchers to families so they could attend the school of their choice when living in a…
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill codifying same-sex marriage into federal law, sending the measure to President Joe Biden’s desk. The Respect for Marriage Act passed the Democrat-led House in a 258-169 vote Thursday. The vote comes a week after the U.S. Senate approved the legislation in…
Some religious plaintiffs are winning, but often on narrow grounds. U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. (photo: Pixabay) Where is the U.S. Supreme Court going on religious freedom? The court’s current trend is to grant religious-freedom claims. That was true even before Amy Coney Barrett joined the court in October…
The public role of religion in American life, long a challenging issue for the Supreme Court in its interpretation of the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, commanded nationwide attention in 1984 when a lawsuit was brought against Pawtucket, Rhode Island, for its erection of a nativity scene in the center…
On December 1, Oklahoma attorney general John O’Connor issued an opinion letter concluding that the state’s laws prohibiting religious charter schools are unconstitutional. The prohibitions, he found, run afoul of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Carson v. Makin , which held that Maine’s exclusion of religious schools from a…
The public role of religion in American life, long a challenging issue for the Supreme Court in its interpretation of the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, commanded nationwide attention in 1984, when a lawsuit was brought against Pawtucket, Rhode Island, for its erection of a nativity scene in the center…
A Catholic church in St. Johns is challenging Michigan’s updated civil rights law in federal court because leaders say the change violates the church’s constitutional rights. In the suit filed Monday, St. Joseph’s parish alleged the state’s redefinition of "sex" in the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act protects others because of…
A Catholic church in St. Johns is challenging Michigan’s updated civil rights law in federal court because leaders say the change violates the church’s constitutional rights. In the suit filed Monday, St. Joseph’s parish alleged the state’s redefinition of "sex" in the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act protects others because of…
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court’s conservative majority seemed sympathetic Monday to an evangelical Christian graphic artist from Colorado who does not want to create wedding websites for same-sex couples, despite the state’s protective anti-discrimination law. Hypotheticals about mall Santas who are Black, interracial marriage and "reeducation programs" for those who…
Protesters demonstrate outside the US Supreme Court in Washington on December 5, 2022. The US Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Monday appeared ready to rule that a Christian web designer has a right to refuse to provide services for same-sex marriages in a case the liberal justices said could empower…
Protesters demonstrate outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., December 5, 2022. The US Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Monday appeared ready to rule that a Christian web designer has a right to refuse to provide services for same-sex marriages in a case the liberal justices said could empower…
joe daniel price/Getty Images (WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Monday appeared sympathetic with a wedding website designer challenging Colorado’s anti-discrimination law and its requirement that she provide services for same-sex couples or face a fine. At the same time, the justices seemed wary about the ramifications…
Monday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that threatens to open the door widely to businesses being allowed to violate anti-discrimination laws. If the court rules that the First Amendment protects the right of business owners to discriminate — based on claims of freedom of speech or…