News from around the world. Curated by Mark McDowell. Posts do not constitute agreement or endorsement.
Two religious organizations have filed emergency applications asking the U.S. Supreme Court to bar enforcement of New York’s COVID-19 limits on attendance at houses of worship. Agudath Israel of America, an umbrella organization representing affiliated Orthodox Jewish congregations across the nation, and two Orthodox congregations in New York City filed…
Agudath Israel, an umbrella organization representing haredi Orthodox Jews, is challenging New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s limitations on houses of worship in “red zones.” THE US Supreme Court ( JTA ) — After several challenges to pandemic-induced restrictions on houses of worship citing religious liberty, an Orthodox Jewish advocacy group…
They said they would do it and they have. A group of church leaders – including a vicar from Tunbridge Wells – has launched a claim for judicial review of the English and Welsh governments’ decision to close churches during lockdown. Rev Peter Sanlon In total 122 church leaders from…
On May 29, 2020, the Supreme Court denied an injunction in South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Newsom . The Court’s order was a single sentence. Chief Justice Roberts wrote a solo concurrence that stretched about two pages. According to Westlaw, 114 cases have cited the Chief’s concurrence. (I cited…
They said they would do it and they have. A group of church leaders – including a vicar from Tunbridge Wells – has launched a claim for judicial review of the English and Welsh governments’ decision to close churches during lockdown. Rev Peter Sanlon In total 122 church leaders from…
SALEM, Mass., Nov. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — While The Satanic Temple’s appeal in its lawsuit over Missouri’s abortion laws is still scheduled to be reviewed by the US Supreme Court to decide if they will hear the case, the US Supreme Court dismissed The Satanic Temple’s (TST’s) motion to disqualify…
Donald Trump and Amy Coney Barrett, AFP photo by Brendan Smialowski. Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s first week as an active Supreme Court justice began on Nov. 2 and almost immediately included a case that could test her credentials as a religious conservative. On the surface, Fulton v. City of Philadelphia…
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, New York filed a petition for certiorari with the United States Supreme Court on Thursday, requesting an emergency injunction that would block COVID-19 restrictions on in-person church attendance. Though the Supreme Court previously rejected a similar challenge during the earlier stage of the pandemic,…
A marijuana plant is visible at Compassionate Care Foundation’s medical marijuana dispensary in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. The First Amendment does not a protect a "ganja minister’s" right to cultivate more cannabis plants than state law allows, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday. Aaron Snyder Torline was an…
A federal lawsuit challenging restrictions on houses of worship, imposed by Delaware Gov. John Carney at the start of the pandemic, has been settled. In exchange for the Rev. Christopher Bullock dropping his lawsuit, Carney agreed that in any future emergency requiring state actions, the governor "must treat churches and…
Maine tuition case The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld how Maine provides public education: utilizing nonsectarian private schools in areas without their own public school. The ruling, in Carson v. Makin , examined recent U.S. Supreme Court funding decisions that the plaintiff argued invalidated the sectarian restriction,…
Bill Chizek/iStock/Getty Images Plus The Supreme Court heard opening arguments in an important religious discrimination case on Wednesday that has been festering since 2018: Sharonell Fulton et. al. v. City of Philadelphia . Back in 2018, the liberal Philadelphia Inquirer discovered that two religiously based foster-care agencies — Bethany Christian…
Getty Images A federal appeals court has ruled against Maine parents challenging a state law that excludes religious schools from the state’s high school tuition program despite a recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that struck down similar restrictions in Montana. The U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals on…
SALEM, Mass., Oct. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The Satanic Temple (TST) has filed a motion asking the Supreme Court to disqualify Justice Amy Coney Barrett from ruling on TST’s lawsuit challenging Missouri’s abortion laws which discriminate against the religious belief of TST members that abortion is not murder. The motion…
(Pixabay image via Courthouse News) BOSTON (CN) — Maine can provide tuition reimbursement to parents who send their children to private schools but not to parents who send their children to religious schools, the First Circuit held Thursday. The 63-page ruling could have national implications inasmuch as roughly half the…
This article is part of a symposium previewing Fulton v. City of Philadelphia . Clare Kindall is the solicitor general for the state of Connecticut, which joined a multi-state amicus brief filed in support of Philadelphia. While in accord with the states’ filed brief, the views expressed here are entirely…
Getty / The Atlantic The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to decide a case this term that, once again, pits religious freedom against the rights of the LGBTQ community. Earlier this month, Justice Clarence Thomas, in a concurrence written on behalf of himself and Justice Samuel Alito, attacked Obergefell v.…
Of the roughly 32 lawsuits that have been filed since March against California Gov. Gavin Newsom, many allege his executive orders violate the religious liberty clauses of the California Constitution. Twenty-two active cases address religious freedom violations, education policies, forced closures of businesses, alleged violations of federal and state laws,…
An "Open for Worship" banner is posted outside the Crossroads Community Church in Yuba City, Calif., Thursday, July 9, 2020. (The Center Square) – Of the roughly 32 lawsuits that have been filed since March against California Gov. Gavin Newsom, many allege his executive orders violate the religious liberty clauses…
Lawyer Alexander Dushku explains religious freedom during his Education Week speech. (BYU Continuing Education) Lawyer Alexander Dushku explained religious freedom for those who do not practice law during his Education Week speech and gave examples of many court cases relating to religious freedom. Religious freedom is a topic widely spoken…
Colorado’s COVID-19 public health orders that limit the number of people who can attend indoor religious services and require worshippers to wear masks at all times are unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled. U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Domenico ruled last week that state officials cannot enforce mask-wearing mandates or some…
An "Open for Worship" banner is posted outside the Crossroads Community Church in Yuba City, Calif., Thursday, July 9, 2020. (The Center Square) – Of the roughly 32 lawsuits that have been filed since March against California Gov. Gavin Newsom, many allege his executive orders violate the religious liberty clauses…
Colorado’s COVID-19 public health orders that limit the number of people who can attend indoor religious services and require worshippers to wear masks at all times are unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled. U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Domenico ruled last week that state officials cannot enforce mask-wearing mandates or some…
News – AP-National Religious freedom advocates are pleased and some secular groups alarmed following a Supreme Court ruling that states must give religious schools the same access to public funding that other private schools receive. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta). The U.S. Supreme Court is seen Tuesday, June 30, 2020 in…
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett listens during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Oct. 14, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool) WASHINGTON (RNS) — Since the moment Judge Amy Coney Barrett was announced as President Donald Trump’s nominee to fill the Supreme…