News from around the world. Curated by Mark McDowell. Posts do not constitute agreement or endorsement.
The LDS church protected a sexual abuser for a decade in Cochise County. When sued, the church attempted to escape responsibility by scurrying behind robes. A Cochise County judge ordered that the bishops and the clerk had to testify, so the church filed a special action, then Division 2 issued…
The Supreme Court is poised to correct an old error that has hurt religious workers for decades by depriving them of their civil rights. More than 50 years ago, Congress protected religious employees in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. It requires employers to give their employees reasonable accommodations…
Yellow Dog Productions/Getty Images In the culture war battles over abortion and transgender rights, religion and religious liberty claims are often identified exclusively with one side of these disputes — those who oppose abortion and transgender rights. This is no longer the case. Several weeks ago, 1,500 synagogues observed a…
The Loudoun County Public Schools sign on the county building. (7News FILE) LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. (7News) — Loudoun County Public Schools Acting Superintendent is banning a teacher from using Bible verses in her email signature, 7News has learned. “Simply put, the general inclusion of religious quotes in communications LCPS employees…
We don’t want your kind. getty Over the past few years, the Supreme Court has, step by step, broken large holes in the wall between church and state when it comes to education. Now a lawsuit in Maine proposes to shatter a few more bricks. Carson v. Makin spun from…
The Biden administration’s Justice Department has submitted a brief to the Supreme Court that should be the subject of a false-labeling charge. An evangelical Christian postman lost his job because he would not deliver mail on Sunday. A federal appellate court ruled against his employment-discrimination claim because accommodating his religious…
Parliament should begin the process of disestablishment rather than try to fix the Church of England, argues Stephen Evans. A recent exchange in parliament revealed the incongruity of a state church in a liberal democracy. Last week, a group of respected parliamentarians brought forward a bill to allow for same…
New PRRI poll also shows LGBTQ Americans tend to be younger and have no religion. (Patrick Semansky | AP) President Joe Biden signs the Respect for Marriage Act, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. A new PRRI poll shows how various religious…
Tennessee’s attorney general is jumping into the First Amendment debate over religious liberty in the U.S., joining other states in issuing support for a number of high-profile issues. Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a collation of 19 state attorneys general on Tuesday in filing an amicus brief asking the U.S.…
Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash An attorney with First Liberty Institute, a conservative legal firm, addressed the Supreme Court’s recent decision to decline to hear a case brought by the city of Ocala, Florida, predicting atheists will ultimately lose in the ongoing legal feud. Listen to the latest episode…
Tennessee’s attorney general is jumping into the First Amendment debate over religious liberty in the U.S., joining other states in issuing support for a number of high-profile issues. Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a collation of 19 state attorneys general on Tuesday in filing an amicus brief asking the U.S.…
Tennessee’s attorney general is jumping into the First Amendment debate over religious liberty in the U.S., joining other states in issuing support for a number of high-profile issues. Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti joined a collation of 19 state attorneys general on Tuesday in filing an amicus brief asking the U.S.…
Law Matters Law Opinion The loyalty being asked of us are to Canada’s organizing constitutional principles. Share: The requirement to take an oath of allegiance to the sovereign remains a requirement for being called to the Bar in some provinces, including Alberta. Does it violate deeply held religious beliefs? Can…
The Supreme Court has declined to hear a Florida city’s bid to fend off a lawsuit by atheists accusing officials of violating constitutional limits on government involvement in religion. (Will Dunham, Reuters) Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a Florida…
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a Florida city’s request to dismiss a lawsuit brought by atheists who say they were offended after the city held a prayer vigil following a local mass shooting. The City of Ocala had asked the Supreme Court to clarify whether "psychic or emotional…
The Supreme Court Prayer vigil organized by city officials City accused of constitutional violation The US Supreme Court refused to hear a Florida city’s bid to avoid a lawsuit accusing it of unconstitutionally endorsing a religion after government officials hosted a prayer vigil following a local shooting. In the case…
(Adds quote from American Center for Law and Justice, paragraph 16) By John Kruzel WASHINGTON, March 6 – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a Florida city’s bid to fend off a lawsuit by atheists accusing officials of violating constitutional limits on government involvement in religion by…
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is among a bevy of plaintiffs asking a federal court for summary judgment to remove a Ten Commandments monument displayed on the Arkansas Capitol grounds. When the Arkansas General Assembly passed Act 1231 of 2015, it created a cascading legal controversy caused by a quintessentially…
WASHINGTON -The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a Florida city’s bid to fend off a lawsuit by atheists accusing officials of violating constitutional limits on government involvement in religion by staging a prayer vigil following gun violence that wounded three children. The justices turned away an appeal…
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider making it harder for people to challenge what they allege is the unconstitutional government endorsement of religion. The court turned away a dispute over a vigil held by uniformed police officers in Florida that included Christian prayers after a local…
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider making it harder for people to challenge what they allege is the unconstitutional government endorsement of religion. The court turned away a dispute over a vigil held by uniformed police officers in Florida that included Christian prayers after a local…
Amanda Harmon Cooley (South Texas College of Law Houston) has posted Quiet Encroachments on School Prayer Jurisprudence on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Over the last decade, there have been multiple occurrences of religious indoctrination and teacher-led prayer in public schools, despite 75 years of consistent Supreme Court precedent that…
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said he “100%” supports the state approving a Catholic virtual charter school and disagrees with the attorney general, who says it would violate state law. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images) Oklahoma was poised next month to be the first state to allow a religious charter…
The Freedom From Religion Foundation commends the Chino Valley school district in California for acknowledging a recent First Amendment violation by a board member — and working to correct it. Two concerned Chino Valley USD employees reported to FFRF that school board member James Na distributed Christmas cards with a…
SPOKANE — A one-time deputy in the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office is suing his former employer in federal court, alleging that he was harassed and discriminated because he no longer attended the same church as several top officers. Aaron Shepard Former Chelan County Sheriff’s Office deputy Aaron Shepard alleges the…