News from around the world. Curated by Mark McDowell. Posts do not constitute agreement or endorsement.
Lois McLatchie Miller Slovakia might be a distant land, and Covid a distant memory. But a significant case brought to the European Court of Human Rights could bring closure to some of the legal questions posed during the pandemic – much-needed closure that many European nations have not yet received,…
Machine learning (ML) models are a cornerstone of modern technology, allowing models to learn from and make predictions based on vast amounts of data. These models have become integral to various industries in an era of rapid technological innovation, driving unprecedented advancements in automation, decision-making, and predictive analysis. The reliance…
The Maryland Supreme Court ruled Aug. 14 that the religious exemption in the state’s Fair Employment Practices Act "bars claims (of) religious, sexual orientation, and gender identity discrimination against religious organizations by employees who perform duties that directly further the core mission(s) of the religious entity." In its 4-3 decision,…
Website of Aurora Pro Services. Screen grab (RNS) — A North Carolina home repair company that advertises as “Grandmother Approved” has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by two employees who were fired for refusing to participate in daily Christian prayers. The lawsuit , brought by the…
A group of public school parents, taxpayers and faith leaders last week filed the first legal challenge to a state-sanctioned religious charter school. They’ve asked an Oklahoma County judge for an injunction to stop the process of opening the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. The group argues in…
White nationalists attend a rally on October 28, 2017 in Shelbyville, Tennessee. The event billed as a “White Lives Matter rally” is hosted by Nationalist Front, which is a coalition of several white supremacist organizations. (Photo by Scott Olson | Getty Images) You may be among the 35% of Americans…
(GlobalStock/Getty Images) “Something deeply un-American is underway in the state of Oklahoma,” writes Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, in the New York Times . Mourning — and suing to prevent — the opening of a religious charter school in Tulsa, she decries that…
White nationalists attend a rally on October 28, 2017 in Shelbyville, Tennessee. The event billed as a “White Lives Matter rally” is hosted by Nationalist Front, which is a coalition of several white supremacist organizations. (Photo by Scott Olson | Getty Images) You may be among the 35% of Americans…
A social justice volunteer in Houston has filed a federal lawsuit against the city, arguing a law banning sharing food with people outdoors violates his freedom of expression and freedom of religion. On Friday, a jury found Food Not Bombs volunteer Phillip Picone, 66, not guilty of breaking the law…
An Elmira photographer whose lawsuit over New York’s anti-discrimination laws was dismissed in 2021 is pursuing an appeal, buoyed by a recent Supreme Court ruling in a similar case. Emilee Carpenter, who specializes in wedding photography , filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, claiming New York’s requirement — if…
An Elmira photographer whose lawsuit over New York’s anti-discrimination laws was dismissed in 2021 is pursuing an appeal, buoyed by a recent Supreme Court ruling in a similar case. Emilee Carpenter, who specializes in wedding photography , filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, claiming New York’s requirement — if…
Shutterstock Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 2, 2023 / 09:30 am Nine Oklahoma residents and several interest groups, including the ACLU and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, filed a lawsuit against state leaders to block the sponsorship and funding for the first approved Catholic charter school in the country. The Statewide…
A long-expected lawsuit has arrived to fight the creation of the country’s first religious charter school . The case, filed Monday in Oklahoma County District Court, kicks off likely years of litigation to examine the possibility of publicly funded religious schools, starting with St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School.…
Opponents of an application by a Catholic virtual charter school wait for the start of a meeting by the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City on Monday, June 5, 2023. (Paul Monies/Oklahoma Watch) A group of public school parents, taxpayers and faith leaders…
Yes, here we go again. The first time I read through this Washington Post story — “ Firing of gay Catholic school teacher could test latest Supreme Court ruling” — I thought it was another botched mainstream press story about a case in which a doctrinally defined academic community (in…
Federal appellate judges probed the scope of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling during arguments Friday in a challenge to a Louisville anti-discrimination ordinance brought by a Christian photographer opposed to shooting same-sex weddings. In 303 Creative v. Elenis , the high court’s conservative majority ruled for a Denver website…
A federal judge has rejected a church’s argument that a Washington state law forcing faith-based organizations to cover elective abortions in their employee health plans violates the church’s religious freedom rights. In a Tuesday ruling , Judge Benjamin Settle of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington…
Earlier this spring, two churches filed a federal lawsuit against Morris County, alleging discrimination after being denied grant funding. Vianella Burns , Patch Staff Earlier this spring, two churches filed a federal lawsuit against Morris County, alleging discrimination after being denied grant funding. (Google Maps) MENDHAM, NJ — Two Morris…
Earlier this spring, two churches filed a federal lawsuit against Morris County, alleging discrimination after being denied grant funding. Vianella Burns , Patch Staff Earlier this spring, two churches filed a federal lawsuit against Morris County, alleging discrimination after being denied grant funding. (Google Maps ) LONG VALLEY, NJ —…
The end of the Supreme Court’s term brought two rulings unquestionably favorable to religious interests. A U.S. flag flies in front of the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse in New York City. (photo: mariakray / Shutterstock) According to recent opinion polling, most Americans think the Supreme Court is friendly to…
Former Sacramento Kings announcer Grant Napear could now see part of his case over firing for an "All Lives Matter" tweet go to discovery. A federal judge on Wednesday partially denied a motion to dismiss former Sacramento Kings play-by-play announcer Grant Napear’s case that he was illegally fired and discriminated…
(CN) — The state of Washington defeated a lawsuit brought by a church that challenged a 2018 law requiring health insurance plans that provide maternity coverage to also provide substantially equivalent abortion coverage. U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma on Tuesday issued summary judgment in favor of the state.…
Supreme Court Have religious zealots coopted the Supreme Court? The left seems to think so. Pieces written about its last two terms, in particular, make various versions of this claim. They’ve said the court allegedly wishes to end the separation of church and state . They’ve said the majority of…
Michael Maslanka A birthday ending with a “0” is bearing down on me. As with other Baby Boomers, thoughts pivot from temporal concerns toward transcendent ones. So, a very recent trifecta of cases involving religion in the workplace snagged my attention: two from SCOTUS and one from the Fifth Circuit.…
The last case of the Supreme Court term this year was provocative: It would allow a graphic designer, Ms. Smith, in a business open to the public, to discriminate against a gay couple regarding their marriage if she had a sincerely held belief that same-sex marriages are morally wrong. Her…