News from around the world. Curated by Mark McDowell. Posts do not constitute agreement or endorsement.
Professor Zhou Fuchu: The Internet age has a profound influence on the human society. The ancient religious information also radiates in the Internet age. On Dec 10, 2016, the legal issue of religious information online transmission was discussed at an international symposium on religion and rule of law. Many […]…
The post Issues of equality in the consistory courts considers the application of the Equality Act 2010 to the proposed disabled access to a pre-fabricated timber frame building into the community garden at the church, Re St Christopher Walworth [2016] ECC Swk 14. In addition to the inexcusable actions by…
The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals is gearing up to hear arguments on HB 1523 after U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ruled the law unconstitutional in June. On Dec. 23, various attorneys filed six amicus briefs in the appellant court representing a total of 70 people or groups with…
The ECtHR has handed down judgment in Sociedad Anónima del Ucieza v Spain [2016] ECHR (Application No. 38963/08) [In French]. The dispute was over the registration of ownership of a mediaeval church. Click here to view full article at www.lawandreligionuk.com
For one reason or another, a number of people in the blogosphere have been writing culture war posts in the last few days. Perhaps it’s the end of the year, or the looming political changes, or exam avoidance, or just the holiday cheer. For those who are interested, have a…
It seems a good time of the year to take stock of the current status of some important Law and Religion issues discussed this year, and to flag some upcoming issues for the New Year. A. Same Sex Marriage 1. Making the change in Australia? 2. Protecting Religious Freedom if…
For an alternative view of the Top Ten Religious Liberty Stories of 2016, see this post by Baptist Joint Committee blogger Don Byrd. Each year in December, I attempt to pick the most important church-state and religious liberty developments of the past year. This was a busy year, and a…
Charity and the advancement of religion Annual reporting consultation Short-term visitor visas for clergy The Great Irish Bake-Off series 3? Yet more on Brexit Quick links And finally…A member of the Polish Parliament, Beata Mateusiak-Pielucha of the ruling Law and Justice Party, has argued that “We should demand that atheists,…
(Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear appeals by Christian-affiliated hospital systems of lower court rulings that gave the green light to employee lawsuits accusing them of wrongly claiming a religious exemption from federal pension law. New Jersey-based St. Peter’s Healthcare System, Illinois-based Advocate Health System…
A roundup of one court opinion and three essays relating to the same-sex marriage decision in Obergefell v. Hodges by SCOTUS.
Last week, Emory University School of Law received an anonymous one million dollar gift to “expand training in religious freedom for law students and bring new scholarship and fresh voices to the field.” The money will fund a new four-year project at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion called…
Religion Clause blog has a nice list of articles addressing the interaction between religion and law. Some of the more interesting ones (to me): Jennifer Carr, Complicity and Collection: Religious Freedom and Tax, (University of St. Thomas Law Journal, Vol. 11, No. 2, p. 183, Spring 2014). Robert D. Goldstein, The Structural Wall…
There are only a handful of whole organizations devoted to the study of law and religion in the US and the UK. Once such is the Law and Religion Scholars Network is hosted by the Centre for Law and Religion at Cardiff University. The Centre was the first such organisation in the UK…
For me, this was a fascinating opinion. It is a Federal District Court decision from the South Carolina District concerning graduation prayers in the Greenville County School district. The case is American Humanist Association v. South Carolina Department of Education (D SC, May 18, 2015). The facts behind the case were that many…
While the media gave good attention to the event and needs in Nepal, the nature of modern media is to move on to the next thing. Yet the needs in the Himalayas continue to worsen, especially as attention wanes. Helping needy people is a Christian calling, of course, but it is also…
This post is late to the game, as the media controversy over Indiana’s recent Religious Freedom Restoration Act seems to have boiled over and then simmered back down, taking a back seat to the next outrage. During the first stages of any scandal in the modern age, critical thinking or calm…
Here is a story that combines almost all my areas of interest: law in the US, law in the UK, history, and religion. Sir Edward Coke (pronounced “cook”) was a barrister and a judge in 17th century England, where he both represented and judged some of the most famous cases in common…
I have now taken my last law exam, and the degree is complete. No, grades are not out so quickly, but I do not have any doubt I passed. There are no surprises in the last year of the ordeal. Here is a list of my final courses: Jurisprudence Company…
As most of you know, Ronald Dworkin, the American philosopher and legal scholar, passed from this life last week. He was Professor of Law and Philosophy at New York University, Emeritus Professor of Jurisprudence at University College London, and taught at Yale Law School and the University of Oxford. He is…
Finally, to close off a week of legal lists from 2011, the American Bar Association has listed lists of 2011. Among the lists are: POPULAR CULTURE 30 Lawyers Pick 30 Books Every Lawyer Should Read The 25 Greatest Legal Movies The 25 Greatest Legal TV Shows Top 10 Lawyers in…
In the last couple of months, we have seen a lot of depositions. We have noticed them ourselves and deposed parties; and have received noticed and had our clients deposed. I sat in as second chair on my first depo. It is both enjoyable and fulfilling to be part of some…
Slavery in the British and American countries was an issue that found religious people arguing both sides. Biblical texts were used to argue both for and against; this usually means that the biblical texts are being misused. The modern social and cultural contexts are so radically different. Even in the Roman Empire,…
Marriage is both a religious and a legal act in most cases, whether we are speaking of a civil ceremony, a religious ceremony, a common-law marriage, or so on. While there have been laws at various times and places throughout history preventing interracial marriages, these normally seemed to have derived from social…