News from around the world. Curated by Mark McDowell. Posts do not constitute agreement or endorsement.
Can an employee refuse diversity training because of religious beliefs? It can be difficult for companies to negotiate the line between what is for the good of the company, and what suits the individual – and one particular minefield is when the company’s values conflict with an employee’s faith. So,…
The Biden administration’s Justice Department has submitted a brief to the Supreme Court that should be the subject of a false-labeling charge. An evangelical Christian postman lost his job because he would not deliver mail on Sunday. A federal appellate court ruled against his employment-discrimination claim because accommodating his religious…
Parliament should begin the process of disestablishment rather than try to fix the Church of England, argues Stephen Evans. A recent exchange in parliament revealed the incongruity of a state church in a liberal democracy. Last week, a group of respected parliamentarians brought forward a bill to allow for same…
A federal judge dismissed Friday an effort by the pastor of God’s Storehouse, who is also a state senator, to block Internal Revenue Service access the church’s bank records as part of an ongoing investigation. The probe into God’s Storehouse stretches back to June 2021 but became public last year…
New PRRI poll also shows LGBTQ Americans tend to be younger and have no religion. (Patrick Semansky | AP) President Joe Biden signs the Respect for Marriage Act, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. A new PRRI poll shows how various religious…
Jackson OB-GYN Dr. Giovannina Anthony, second from left, a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging Wyoming’s new ban on most abortions, hugs her attorney after Ninth District Court Judge Melissa Owens issued a temporary order blocking the law Wednesday, March 22, 2023, in Jackson. (Kathryn Ziesig/Jackson Hole News&Guide/Pool) A district court…
Los Angeles Times (TNS) Marissa Barnwell failed to show sufficient deference to the Pledge of Allegiance. And for that, she was punished. She was walking quietly down the hall at River Bluff High School in Lexington, South Carolina, where she is in ninth grade. The daily over-the-intercom recitation of the…
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is sounding the tocsin about a proposal in the Texas Legislature that would assault the constitutional wall of separation enshrined in both the state and federal constitutions. The proposal is grandiosely and misleadingly dubbed the “Protection of Religious Liberty from Nativist Jurisprudence Act.” If passed,…
Students saying the Pledge of Allegiance at Mount St. Mary’s Academy in Grass Valley, Calif., in 2021. Marissa Barnwell failed to show sufficient deference to the Pledge of Allegiance. And for that, she was punished. She was walking quietly down the hall at River Bluff High School in Lexington, S.C.,…
Tennessee’s attorney general is jumping into the First Amendment debate over religious liberty in the U.S., joining other states in issuing support for a number of high-profile issues. Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a collation of 19 state attorneys general on Tuesday in filing an amicus brief asking the U.S.…
Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash An attorney with First Liberty Institute, a conservative legal firm, addressed the Supreme Court’s recent decision to decline to hear a case brought by the city of Ocala, Florida, predicting atheists will ultimately lose in the ongoing legal feud. Listen to the latest episode…
Tennessee’s attorney general is jumping into the First Amendment debate over religious liberty in the U.S., joining other states in issuing support for a number of high-profile issues. Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a collation of 19 state attorneys general on Tuesday in filing an amicus brief asking the U.S.…
Tennessee’s attorney general is jumping into the First Amendment debate over religious liberty in the U.S., joining other states in issuing support for a number of high-profile issues. Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a collation of 19 state attorneys general on Tuesday in filing an amicus brief asking the U.S.…
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is renewing its demand that the Federal Emergency Management Agency rescind a proposed $1 million-plus handout for a Kentucky church/tornado shelter. In 2021, a concerned city resident and taxpayer in Versailles, Ky., had alerted FFRF about an official decision to spend public funds to pay…
A decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowing Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Wayne Mack to start his court proceeding with prayer will stand after the deadline to appeal the ruling passed. A decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowing Precinct 1 Justice…
Law Matters Law Opinion The loyalty being asked of us are to Canada’s organizing constitutional principles. Share: The requirement to take an oath of allegiance to the sovereign remains a requirement for being called to the Bar in some provinces, including Alberta. Does it violate deeply held religious beliefs? Can…
Most Americans take for granted the ability to attend church on Sunday. In fact, even those whose employers are open seven days a week are still often able to attend church through religious accommodation granted by the employer. Federal law protects employees’ rights to religious accommodation to attend worship services.…
The Supreme Court has declined to hear a Florida city’s bid to fend off a lawsuit by atheists accusing officials of violating constitutional limits on government involvement in religion. (Will Dunham, Reuters) Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a Florida…
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a Florida city’s request to dismiss a lawsuit brought by atheists who say they were offended after the city held a prayer vigil following a local mass shooting. The City of Ocala had asked the Supreme Court to clarify whether "psychic or emotional…
The Supreme Court Prayer vigil organized by city officials City accused of constitutional violation The US Supreme Court refused to hear a Florida city’s bid to avoid a lawsuit accusing it of unconstitutionally endorsing a religion after government officials hosted a prayer vigil following a local shooting. In the case…
(Adds quote from American Center for Law and Justice, paragraph 16) By John Kruzel WASHINGTON, March 6 – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a Florida city’s bid to fend off a lawsuit by atheists accusing officials of violating constitutional limits on government involvement in religion by…
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is among a bevy of plaintiffs asking a federal court for summary judgment to remove a Ten Commandments monument displayed on the Arkansas Capitol grounds. When the Arkansas General Assembly passed Act 1231 of 2015, it created a cascading legal controversy caused by a quintessentially…
WASHINGTON -The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a Florida city’s bid to fend off a lawsuit by atheists accusing officials of violating constitutional limits on government involvement in religion by staging a prayer vigil following gun violence that wounded three children. The justices turned away an appeal…
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider making it harder for people to challenge what they allege is the unconstitutional government endorsement of religion. The court turned away a dispute over a vigil held by uniformed police officers in Florida that included Christian prayers after a local…
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider making it harder for people to challenge what they allege is the unconstitutional government endorsement of religion. The court turned away a dispute over a vigil held by uniformed police officers in Florida that included Christian prayers after a local…