News from around the world. Curated by Mark McDowell. Posts do not constitute agreement or endorsement.
David Hudson. Photo courtesy Freedom Forum The Supreme Court’s October 2021 term, which officially began on the first Monday of the month, promises to be an eventful one for those concerned about the First Amendment and its freedoms. The court will hear cases involving: ●A man on death row asserting…
Free Exercise of Religion on a Slippery Slope – By Howard Sierer – Where do we draw a line limiting the free exercise of religion guaranteed by the First Amendment ? For those tempted to answer that no limiting line should be drawn, read on. When religious beliefs lead to…
HOUSTON (AP) — Executions in the nation’s busiest capital punishment state face delays amid legal questions over Texas’ refusal to allow spiritual advisers to touch inmates and pray aloud as condemned individuals are being put to death. It’s unclear when Texas may carry out another execution after the U.S. Supreme…
This undated photo provided by The Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows John Henry Ramirez, a Texas death row inmate. Executions in the nation’s busiest capital punishment state are likely to face new delays because of legal questions tied to spiritual advisers and what role they play in the death…
FILE – This undated photo provided by The Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows John Henry Ramirez, a Texas death row inmate. Executions in the nation’s busiest capital punishment state are likely to face new delays because of legal questions tied to spiritual advisers and what role they play in…
A general view of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., U.S. June 25, 2021. Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC The U.S. Supreme Court’s new nine-month term, which begins on…
A general view of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., U.S. June 25, 2021. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo Oct 1 (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court’s new nine-month term, which begins on Monday, promises to be among the most momentous in generations. The justices are poised to decide major…
The media are prepping for the U.S. Supreme Court’s December 1 hearing on the strict Mississippi abortion law and the subsequent ruling. In a prior Guy Memo on religious "friend of the court" briefs filed on the pro-life side, I promised a second rundown when pro-abortion-rights activists weighed in with…
With only a few days remaining before the justices return to the courtroom for the start of the 2021-22 term, the Supreme Court on Thursday issued orders from the justices’ “long conference” on Monday, Sept. 27. The justices normally consider over a thousand cases at the long conference, which is…
A 1982 Supreme Court decision involving Harvard Square restaurant Grendel’s Den could serve as legal precedent to overturn Texas’s recent law banning most abortions. A 1982 Supreme Court decision involving Harvard Square restaurant Grendel’s Den could serve as legal precedent to overturn Texas’s recent law banning most abortions, Harvard emeritus…
U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of Catholic Social Services, a foster care agency that refuses to compromise its religious beliefs by placing children with same-sex couples. The High Court’s decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia has a significant impact on every area of the free exercise of…
The fight for school choice has always faced push‐back when it comes to funding religious education. Even though Pell Grants and federal student loans can be used to attend religious universities, people become wary when school‐choice dollars—whether in the form of vouchers, tax credits, or whatever—are given to religious K-12…
EXCLUSIVE: Former Attorney General Bill Barr is supporting a new amicus brief at the Supreme Court, led by Democratic attorney David Boies, opposing Maine’s decision to block public tuition from flowing to students who choose to attend religious schools. The Supreme Court agreed this summer to take up the case,…
Catholics attend a Christmas eve mass at a Catholic church near the city of Taiyuan, Shanxi province, December 24, 2012. | Reuters/Jason Lee/File Photo Though Chinese Christians are banned from honoring their own martyrs, they are now required to pray for communist soldiers who died in the war with imperial…
Texas’ recent bill banning most abortions after six weeks may be upended by perhaps the most unexpected group of all, religious zealots who worship Satan. The Satanic Temple has established a “religious abortion ritual” that they claim will be trampled on given the Texas law enacted in May that bans…
by John McClaughry A large insurance company has been flooding the television channels with an advertising slogan “Only Pay for What You Need”. It’s an interesting exercise to apply that idea to various public spending issues. Typically, at the state level, our elected legislature decides how the tax dollars they…
Church, Cologne Germany. (Photo: Katy Grimes) The Cross Culture Christian Center in Lodi and Cornerstone Church in Fresno just won large lawsuits against Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose statewide COVID shutdown orders included churches. “Although Plaintiffs appreciate the government’s significant interest in and efforts to protect the health and safety of…
Earlier this year I wrote an article arguing that the local church is essential. No matter what the government says, God’s word makes it clear that believers are called to continue gathering together for fellowship (Hebrews 10:24-25). The government can tell Christians to stop stepping over the entrance of the…
The New Life in Christ Church trustees own a home on Franklin Street in Fredericksburg that houses two coordinators of the church’s University of Mary Washington outreach ministry. Virginia law provides an exemption from property taxes for real estate and personal property owned by churches and exclusively occupied or used…
Churches want to turn American democracy upside down by advocating for representation without taxation. To meet the requirements of tax-exempt nonprofits, churches and secular 501(c)(3) charitable organizations “may not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities and it may not participate at all in campaign activity…
A group of religious leaders have launched a Federal Court challenge to the NSW and Victorian health orders, arguing they should be allowed the same freedoms as supermarkets and liquor stores. They are seeking exemptions from measures that restrict freedoms in the face of the Covid-19 epidemic, which has thrown…
Image: Sebastian Pichler/Unsplash The Supreme Court ended Roe v. Wade . When the court finally got around to issuing the reprehensible 5-4 shadow docket decision on Texas’s bounty-hunting, 2-week abortion ban, which had already gone into effect and is spreading to other states , the utter dereliction of duty and…
Covid-19 has spurred an outbreak of a different kind: litigation. To combat the pandemic, officials imposed extensive community-level mitigation measures using their broad but largely untested emergency powers. In response, more than 1000 suits challenged orders shuttering businesses, banning indoor worship services, restricting travel, and mandating mask wearing. 1 As…
Illustration by Siddhant Jumde On August 29, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said his government would appeal the Supreme Court against the Gujarat High Court’s order on August 19 that stayed certain sections of the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act, 2021. “The state government is firm on stopping forcible…
Agency: Attorney General Media contact: Lynsey Mukomel 517-599-2746 Public inquiries: 517-335-7622 LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing a brief in support of the constitutionality of Virginia’s anti-discrimination law. The amicus brief was filed Friday Aug. 27 with the U.S. Court…