News from around the world. Curated by Mark McDowell. Posts do not constitute agreement or endorsement.
An outside adviser has urged the education minister to close a “significant gap” in law that sets different expectations for public and private schools’ accommodation of LGBTQ students and staff. Education Minister David Eggen issued a ministerial order Thursday based on the adviser’s report, telling two defiant Edmonton-area Christian private…
A few items from Law and Religion UK: “Reciprocal heresy trials”, an episcopus vagans and Matthew 6:3 Humanist marriage in Northern Ireland Ireland, blasphemy and Stephen Fry Swiss canton says “no” to burqa ban Ritual slaughter, infant circumcision, hijabs and burkinis – again Ecclesiastical Law Journal Read these and more…
Sharon Hofisi Legal Matters — For the purpose of precision, let me, with alacrity, begin by considering the basic definition of law. Professor Lovemore Madhuku, who is doubtlessly one of the best legal thinkers who can demystify the law, defines law simply as “rules and regulations that govern human conduct…
Arkansas is set for a mass execution of eight people within a 10 day period, starting April 17. The rush to kill exists because one lethal injection drug — which has caused multiple botched executions — is about to expire. Replacing these weapons has become challenging since drug companies have…
In Wall v Judicial Committee of the Highwood Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses 2016 ABCA 255 (CanLII), Mr Wall had sought judicial review of his expulsion from the Highwood Congregation. A chambers judge had concluded that the Court of Queen’s Bench had jurisdiction to hear the application and the Court of…
The Theological Forum of the Church of Scotland has produced a report, An Approach to the Theology of Same-Sex Marriage, in advance of next month’s General Assembly. The report examines three overlapping kinds of argument in some detail: arguments based on understandings of human rights; analogical arguments which try to…
From Law and religion round-up – 23rd April …the General Election, June 2017 Manchester Gorton by-election Lobbying: a reminder to third-party campaigners Other election issues The Church of Scotland and same-sex marriage Church of Scotland General Assembly 2017 Polygamy on trial in Canada Shergill v Khaira yet again News from…
On Monday morning, the Supreme Court put off, for a second time, the decision whether to hear Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, but the core of the issue is unlikely to remain unresolved for long. The case is just one of a number of disputes in which small-business…
Can a reserve member of the Armed Forces make controversial, religiously motivated, political comments on a private website contrary to Defence Force policy? Sadly, the answer provided by the recent decision in Chief of the Defence Force v Gaynor [2017] FCAFC 41 (8 March 2017) is, No, not without having…
ACLU reports that on March 10, South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard signed SB 149 (full text) into law. The new law protects adoption and foster care agencies that act in accordance with religious or moral beliefs in placing children, providing in part: It also explicitly bars any adverse action by…
First, Rob writes that Christians are “lead[ing] the charge” against Muslims in some communities, citing conservative Christian support for so-called anti-Sharia laws and for the denial of zoning permits for the construction of mosques. I wonder if this is true. No doubt some conservative Christians do support these policies. But…
The case sought a preliminary ruling on the question of whether a blanket ban on the wearing of religious symbols by a private employer would amount to direct discrimination under the meaning of the Employment Directive. The Church of England has issued a statement expressing its grave concern over the…
“Constitutional Law” from Christian Faith Publishing author James Tonty is an examination of the development of the United States Constitution starting from the earliest beginnings of the founding documents from the first settlements, through the War of Independence from England to the establishment of the Republic. This dissertation will […]…
Faculty jurisdiction and external signage The commercial relationship between individual churches and external organizations frequently requires the display of clearly visible signage, often outside the church building. This was the substance of the recently-reported Re St Bartholomew Welby [2017] ECC Lei 1,in which the court considered how a grant from…
From an online symposium on Vincent Phillip Muñoz‘s article, “Two Concepts of Religious Liberty.” Here is Professor Muñoz’ response to some of the participants: It’s gratifying when scholars you respect and admire take your work seriously. I am therefore deeply grateful for the symposium hosted by the Center for Law…
Ongoing litigation in Canada suggests that the legal status of religiously affiliated law schools could be in jeopardy. In Canada, regulatory authorities have sought to deny accreditation status to a religiously affiliated law school (Trinity Western University) due to its commitment to a traditional Christian understanding of marriage. According to…
On the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom Click here to view full article at lawandreligionforum.org At the Library of Law and Liberty this morning, I have a post on the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom of 1786, the anniversary of which America marked last week. Among other things, I describe…
London: December 22, 2016. (PCP) Former president of Pakistan and co-chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari has told the Ameer Jammat-e-Islami Sirajul Haq to take back the Sindh Assembly’s recently passed forced conversion bill in the. Siraj thanked the PPP leader for taking into consideration the…
From the www.lawandreligionuk.com wekkly roundup of law and religion news: Brexit Northern Ireland elections The Charity Commission and the Jehovah’s Witnesses Assisting suicide: the DPP’s policy Burial rights reform Unsafe memorials in cemeteries The UKSC Brexit judgments: R (Miller) etc
A case before the Supreme Court of India has garnered a lot of attention. The issue concerns Christian divorce law in the country: Christian personal law cannot override the Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872 and the Divorce Act, 1869, the Supreme Court held on Thursday while dismissing a PIL seeking…
Religious freedom in Vietnam is at risk of deteriorating under the government’s new Law on Belief and Religion, a senior bishop told officials on Monday. Bishop Peter Nguyen Van Kham, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Vietnam, was speaking at a meeting between government officials and representatives from…
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