News from around the world. Curated by Mark McDowell. Posts do not constitute agreement or endorsement.
The U.S. Supreme Court made a colossally misguided ruling in a case involving a website designer who doesn’t want to serve same-sex clients. File Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | Has America hit political bottom? The Supreme Court may have demonstrated that there is no bottom to which America can descend,…
Stock image What to Know A state appeals court says members of a deeply conservative Amish community in Minnesota don’t need to install septic systems to dispose of their “gray water.” The ruling came Monday from the state Court of Appeals in a long-running religious freedom case that went all…
Login | July 11, 2023 University of Nebraska-Lincoln (THE CONVERSATION) Does a Colorado designer’s belief that marriage is between one man and one woman merit an exemption to state law barring discrimination against LGBTQ+ people? On June 30, 2023, the Supreme Court decided 6-3 that the answer is yes: Requiring…
On June 29, 2023, the United States Supreme Court issued a significant decision in Groff v. DeJoy , No. 22-174 (June 29, 2023), in which it “clarified” the religious accommodation standard under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Uprooting nearly half a century of precedent, the Court articulated that…
Members of a deeply conservative Amish community in Minnesota don’t need to install septic systems to dispose of their "gray water," the state Court of Appeals ruled Monday in a long-running religious freedom case that went all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. A three-judge panel ruled that…
Subscribe to Our Mailing List > In Braidwood Management, Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission , the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held that religious employers may be exempt from Title VII requirements concerning sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination if those requirements are found to…
In a significant legal milestone for religious liberty, the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Groff v. DeJoy , a case litigated with the assistance of NRB member First Liberty Institute, delivered a resounding affirmation of the rights of employees to freely exercise their religious beliefs. The ruling sets a powerful…
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states – Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for…
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is one of three sets of plaintiffs making the case today for removal of a Ten Commandments monolith from the grounds of the Arkansas Capitol in the federal courtroom of Judge Kristine G. Baker. FFRF Legal Counsel Sam Grover and local counsel Gerry Schulze are…
During the last week of June, the U.S. Supreme Court issued rulings in two cases— 303 Creative v. Elenis and Groff v. Dejoy —that further protects the basic rights of Americans to free speech and religious liberty. Here’s the run-down of what you should know about two of the most…
In the final days of its most recent term, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court strengthened religious liberty in the workplace when it decided in favor of Gerald Groff, a former United States Postal Service employee who sought a religious accommodation to honor the Sabbath. This is a landmark victory, not…
Last Friday, June 30, the Supreme Court recognized the Constitution prohibits Congress from making a law “respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech….” It’s funny how freedom of speech and freedom to exercise religion keeps popping up. It’s almost like…
On June 29, 2023, the United States Supreme Court (“Court”) issued a unanimous opinion in Groff v. DeJoy, finding that the employer-friendly de minimis standard for determining whether an employer would suffer an undue hardship by granting a religious accommodation to an employee is incompatible with the text of Title…
Key Takeaways: With its decision in Groff v. DeJoy , the Supreme Court has ruled that an employer must demonstrate granting a religious accommodation would result in substantial increased costs to the employer to justify an accommodation denial. The 9-0 decision nullified a line of lower court cases permitting an…
A federal court has decided that Christian Identity be recognized as an official religion in the Michigan state prison system. Lawyers for two inmates in the Michigan Department of Corrections successfully argued that their clients’ religious beliefs should be welcomed like other faith philosophies, despite organizations like the Anti-Defamation League…
Does a Colorado designer’s belief that marriage is between one man and one woman merit an exemption to state law barring discrimination against LGBTQ+ people? On June 30, 2023, the Supreme Court decided 6-3 that the answer is yes: Requiring a conservative Christian business owner to create wedding websites for…
Does a Colorado designer’s belief that marriage is between one man and one woman merit an exemption to state law barring discrimination against LGBTQ+ people? On June 30, 2023, the Supreme Court decided 6-3 that the answer is yes: Requiring a conservative Christian business owner to create wedding websites for…
Happy 247th Birthday, America! To what extent are we a “Christian nation” with a “Christian government?” Can we truly celebrate religious diversity? I asked those questions in my March 9, 2020 open forum, over which the DN-R editorial staff placed the headline: “US Was Founded As A Secular Nation.” I…
Protesters are seen in front of the Supreme Court ahead of Friday’s rulings. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | July 3 (UPI) — Does a Colorado designer’s belief that marriage is between one man and one woman merit an exemption to state law barring discrimination against LGBTQ+ people? On Friday, the…
A case in which the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled that a bakery violated the state’s civil rights law by refusing to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple has been returned to the Oregon Court of Appeals by the US Supreme Court. Wikimedia Commons/Senate Democrats The US Supreme…
303 creative decision In a closely watched Free Speech case, 303 Creative v. Elenis , the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment bars the state of Colorado from enforcing its nondiscrimination law against a website designer who wants to create custom wedding websites as part of her business…
Web designer Lorie Smith, plaintiff in a Supreme Court case who objects to same-sex marriage, poses for a portrait at her office in Littleton, Colorado, U.S., November 28, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/ The US Supreme Court ruled Friday that some private businesses can refuse service to same-sex couples for religious reasons,…
COMMENTARY BY the Supreme Court upheld the right of an employee to be granted a religious accommodation by his employer unless doing so would substantially affect the employer’s business. boonchai wedmakawand / Getty Images Key Takeaways In Groff v. DeJoy, the high court reiterated that employees must not be forced…
Major LGBT rights case could weaken anti-discrimination laws nationwide Protesters in December jockey for position before cameras in front of the Supreme Court during oral arguments in a case about a Colorado anti-discrimination law and same-sex wedding websites. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo) The Supreme Court sided Friday with…
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 along ideological lines that the First Amendment bars Colorado from "forcing a website designer to create expressive designs speaking messages with which the designer disagrees." Writing for the conservative majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch said: "Ms. [Lori] Smith seeks to engage in protected First Amendment…