News from around the world. Curated by Mark McDowell. Posts do not constitute agreement or endorsement.
More than half ​ of the Notre Dame incoming class in 2019 did not attend public high school. Catholic high schools, specifically, accounted for 37% of that class. This month, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear argument as to whether it is unconstitutional for a state to…
Keisha Russell Keisha Russell is counsel to First Liberty Institute, a non-profit law firm dedicated to defending religious freedom for all. Did Oregon officials violate their duty to remain neutral on matters of religion when they ordered Christian bakers Aaron and Melissa Klein to pay $135,000 for declining to create…
Religious and non-public school groups in late December asked the Michigan Supreme Court to strike down the 1970 state constitutional amendment prohibiting taxpayer funding for private schools, arguing it was motivated by anti-Catholic bias and violates the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. (Shutterstock photo) LANSING – What began…
Three families arguing the state should pay tuition for their children to attend private religious schools because they live in school districts with no high schools made their case before a federal appeals court in Boston on Wednesday. Angela and Troy Nelson pose in August 2018 with their children, Royce,…
When I moderated a debate on Espinoza v. Montana Dep’t of Revenue , I had a question for one of the Institute for Justice lawyers who represents Ms. Espinoza (and others, including Linda Greenhouse, had asked the same question as well). Here’s the issue: A Montana school choice programs let…
In this Dec. 18 photo, President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Battle Creek, Mich. Using stark “Us versus Them” language, Trump and his campaign are trying to frame impeachment not as judgment on his conduct but as a culture war referendum on him and his supporters, aiming…
Evangelicals who minimize the importance of President Donald Trump’s judicial appointments betray a naivete about the perils to religious liberty in the United States, perils that have been growing over the past decade. Many people, outside of the relatively small group of constitutional law professors and Supreme Court and appeals…
Evangelicals who minimize the importance of President Donald Trump’s judicial appointments betray a naivete about the perils to religious liberty in the United States, perils that have been growing over the past decade. Many people, outside of the relatively small group of constitutional law professors and Supreme Court and appeals…
Demonstrators rally outside the Supreme Court on Dec. 5, 2017, when it heard the case of a Colorado baker who refused to make a cake for a same-sex wedding. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Evangelicals who minimize the importance of President Trump’s judicial appointments betray a naivete about the perils to religious…
A Texas judge may get her day in court after she was sanctioned for refusing to perform same-sex marriages. McLennan County Judge Dianne Hensley recused herself from performing same-sex marriages in accordance with her Christian faith. In an affront to religious liberty, the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct investigated…
Dianne Hensley, a judge in Waco, Texas, is suing the state agency that gave her a public warning last month for refusing to officiate same-sex weddings while continuing to officiate heterosexual ones. The lawsuit, filed Monday, claims the State Commission on Judicial Conduct’s warning violates Hensley’s rights under the Texas…
The Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to hear two California cases on whether teachers at religious schools may sue for alleged discrimination. WASHINGTON — In 2014, Kristen Biel told her principal at St. James Catholic School in Torrance that she had breast cancer and would need time off for chemotherapy. The…
The Supreme Court is seen at sunset in Washington, on Jan. 24, 2019. (Scott Applewhite/AP) The Supreme Court has agreed to consider how much protection church schools have from government intervention when it comes to choosing teachers for its religion classes. The top court agreed ( pdf ) on Wednesday…
WACO, Texas — A county judge in Texas has filed a legal challenge after being issued a public warning from the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct, which recently concluded that she is “casting doubt on her capacity to act impartially” by declining to officiate same-sex ceremonies and rather providing referrals…
Mr. Greenhill For more than three years, Alfonza H. Greenhill has persisted in battling Virginia prison policies that blocked him from practicing the strict Sufi branch of Islam. While he lost several preliminary rounds, the African-American inmate refused to give up and now has scored a signal victory for religious…
A nativity scene is on display near the Washington Monument on December 23, 2010 in Washington, DC. (Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images) An attorney from a religious liberty law firm said on Thursday that officials from a Delaware town have violated the First Amendment by banning religious displays on public property. Roger…
Shields of Strength dog tags | YouTube/First Liberty Institute The U.S. Army’s licensing office has banned a faith-based company from engraving Bible verses on Army-licensed dog tags and jewelry, an action that has outraged at least one member of Congress. Last week, the religious freedom law group First Liberty Institute…
For a second year running, Florida legislators have filed a bill that would make our state the first in the nation to require all public high schools to offer elective courses on the Old and New Testaments. (John Solie/istock) For a second year running, Florida legislators have filed a bill…
Religious freedom advocates are appealing the U.S. military’s decision to prohibit the sale of religiously themed dog tags, a move the military made after receiving complaints from a secularist group. First Liberty, a religious freedom advocacy group, submitted a letter to the Army on Tuesday, asking it to lift a…
Nicole Russell is a contributor to The Daily Signal. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, National Review, Politico, The Washington Times, The American Spectator, and Parents Magazine. Officials in the state of Maryland have banned a school from their voucher program due to their faith-based…
A federal lawsuit challenging the exclusion of a religious school from a state-funded voucher program gained a powerful backer last week when the U.S. Department of Justice filed a “ Statement of Interest ” in the case supporting the plaintiff. The DOJ argues that Maryland’s decision to exclude Bethel Christian…
Fox News Flash top headlines for Dec. 7 A federal court in Canada has ruled that the self-titled "Church of Atheism" isn’t a religion and can’t be treated like one for tax purposes. The Court of Appeal upheld the refusal by the minister of national revenue to register the Church…
The United States Constitution rolled up on an American flag with a gavel in the foreground. Room for copy along the top half of the image. ach day, millions of families from diverse religious backgrounds entrust the education of their children to our nation’s public schools. Employees within our public…
Australians support religious freedom protections for individuals but less for institutions such as schools or hospitals run by religious organisations, a new report for the Centre for Independent Studies has found. The findings do not “bode well for the prospect of any robust protection of religious freedom in this country,”…
Flagler Schools students and staff members participate in the Football Sunday event on Aug. 20, 2019. File photo by Paola Rodriguez The school district has said its involvement in the Football Sunday event is legal because participation is voluntary. The nonprofit says voluntary events can still violate the constitution when…