The Maryland Supreme Court ruled Aug. 14 that the religious exemption in the state’s Fair Employment Practices Act "bars claims (of) religious, sexual orientation, and gender identity discrimination against religious organizations by employees who perform duties that directly further the core mission(s) of the religious entity." In its 4-3 decision,…
Atheist and agnostic fired for not attending company prayers win $50K in suit
Website of Aurora Pro Services. Screen grab (RNS) — A North Carolina home repair company that advertises as “Grandmother Approved” has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by two employees who were fired for refusing to participate in daily Christian prayers. The lawsuit , brought by the…
OKLAHOMA WATCH: Legal challenge filed against publicly funded religious charter school
A group of public school parents, taxpayers and faith leaders last week filed the first legal challenge to a state-sanctioned religious charter school. They’ve asked an Oklahoma County judge for an injunction to stop the process of opening the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. The group argues in…
White Christian nationalism threatens U.S. democracy
White nationalists attend a rally on October 28, 2017 in Shelbyville, Tennessee. The event billed as a “White Lives Matter rally” is hosted by Nationalist Front, which is a coalition of several white supremacist organizations. (Photo by Scott Olson | Getty Images) You may be among the 35% of Americans…
The Opening of a Religious Charter School Is Not Christian Nationalism
(GlobalStock/Getty Images) “Something deeply un-American is underway in the state of Oklahoma,” writes Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, in the New York Times . Mourning — and suing to prevent — the opening of a religious charter school in Tulsa, she decries that…
White Christian nationalism threatens U.S. democracy
White nationalists attend a rally on October 28, 2017 in Shelbyville, Tennessee. The event billed as a “White Lives Matter rally” is hosted by Nationalist Front, which is a coalition of several white supremacist organizations. (Photo by Scott Olson | Getty Images) You may be among the 35% of Americans…
Houston volunteer found not guilty for feeding the homeless. Now he’s suing the city.
A social justice volunteer in Houston has filed a federal lawsuit against the city, arguing a law banning sharing food with people outdoors violates his freedom of expression and freedom of religion. On Friday, a jury found Food Not Bombs volunteer Phillip Picone, 66, not guilty of breaking the law…
Supreme Court says web designer can deny LGBTQ+ couples. NY photographer suit resurfaces
An Elmira photographer whose lawsuit over New York’s anti-discrimination laws was dismissed in 2021 is pursuing an appeal, buoyed by a recent Supreme Court ruling in a similar case. Emilee Carpenter, who specializes in wedding photography , filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, claiming New York’s requirement — if…
Supreme Court says web designer can deny LGBTQ+ couples. NY photographer suit resurfaces
An Elmira photographer whose lawsuit over New York’s anti-discrimination laws was dismissed in 2021 is pursuing an appeal, buoyed by a recent Supreme Court ruling in a similar case. Emilee Carpenter, who specializes in wedding photography , filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, claiming New York’s requirement — if…
Groups sue to block Catholic charter school in Oklahoma; state leaders stand firm
Shutterstock Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 2, 2023 / 09:30 am Nine Oklahoma residents and several interest groups, including the ACLU and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, filed a lawsuit against state leaders to block the sponsorship and funding for the first approved Catholic charter school in the country. The Statewide…
Oklahoma parents begin legal fight against first publicly-funded Catholic school in the US
A long-expected lawsuit has arrived to fight the creation of the country’s first religious charter school . The case, filed Monday in Oklahoma County District Court, kicks off likely years of litigation to examine the possibility of publicly funded religious schools, starting with St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School.…
Legal Challenge Filed Against Publicly Funded Religious Charter School
Opponents of an application by a Catholic virtual charter school wait for the start of a meeting by the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City on Monday, June 5, 2023. (Paul Monies/Oklahoma Watch) A group of public school parents, taxpayers and faith leaders…
Washington Post fires distress rockets about another LGBTQ+ vs. religious liberty case
Yes, here we go again. The first time I read through this Washington Post story — “ Firing of gay Catholic school teacher could test latest Supreme Court ruling” — I thought it was another botched mainstream press story about a case in which a doctrinally defined academic community (in…
Judges Probe High Court Ruling’s Reach in Photographer’s Challenge to Anti-LGBTQ Bias Law
Federal appellate judges probed the scope of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling during arguments Friday in a challenge to a Louisville anti-discrimination ordinance brought by a Christian photographer opposed to shooting same-sex weddings. In 303 Creative v. Elenis , the high court’s conservative majority ruled for a Denver website…
Judge dismisses church’s lawsuit challenging Washington law mandating abortion coverage
A federal judge has rejected a church’s argument that a Washington state law forcing faith-based organizations to cover elective abortions in their employee health plans violates the church’s religious freedom rights. In a Tuesday ruling , Judge Benjamin Settle of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington…
Revised Lawsuit Filed By Mendham Church Over Taxpayer Money
Earlier this spring, two churches filed a federal lawsuit against Morris County, alleging discrimination after being denied grant funding. Vianella Burns , Patch Staff Earlier this spring, two churches filed a federal lawsuit against Morris County, alleging discrimination after being denied grant funding. (Google Maps) MENDHAM, NJ — Two Morris…
Revised Lawsuit Filed By Long Valley Church Over Taxpayer Money
Earlier this spring, two churches filed a federal lawsuit against Morris County, alleging discrimination after being denied grant funding. Vianella Burns , Patch Staff Earlier this spring, two churches filed a federal lawsuit against Morris County, alleging discrimination after being denied grant funding. (Google Maps ) LONG VALLEY, NJ —…
Fair’s Fair — Even in the Culture War
The end of the Supreme Court’s term brought two rulings unquestionably favorable to religious interests. A U.S. flag flies in front of the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse in New York City. (photo: mariakray / Shutterstock) According to recent opinion polling, most Americans think the Supreme Court is friendly to…
Ex-Kings Announcer’s ‘All Lives Matter’ Case Advances in Court
Former Sacramento Kings announcer Grant Napear could now see part of his case over firing for an "All Lives Matter" tweet go to discovery. A federal judge on Wednesday partially denied a motion to dismiss former Sacramento Kings play-by-play announcer Grant Napear’s case that he was illegally fired and discriminated…
Washington prevails in church’s challenge against mandated abortion coverage
(CN) — The state of Washington defeated a lawsuit brought by a church that challenged a 2018 law requiring health insurance plans that provide maternity coverage to also provide substantially equivalent abortion coverage. U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma on Tuesday issued summary judgment in favor of the state.…
Is the Supreme Court giving favorable treatment to religion?
Supreme Court Have religious zealots coopted the Supreme Court? The left seems to think so. Pieces written about its last two terms, in particular, make various versions of this claim. They’ve said the court allegedly wishes to end the separation of church and state . They’ve said the majority of…
Examining Implications for Freedom of Speech, Religious Accommodation, LGBTQ Rights After Recent Rulings
Michael Maslanka A birthday ending with a “0” is bearing down on me. As with other Baby Boomers, thoughts pivot from temporal concerns toward transcendent ones. So, a very recent trifecta of cases involving religion in the workplace snagged my attention: two from SCOTUS and one from the Fifth Circuit.…
James W. Pfister: Creativity, discrimination and commerce
The last case of the Supreme Court term this year was provocative: It would allow a graphic designer, Ms. Smith, in a business open to the public, to discriminate against a gay couple regarding their marriage if she had a sincerely held belief that same-sex marriages are morally wrong. Her…
Supreme Court Fortifies Standard for Religious Accommodations
​Employers will need to prove religious accommodations inflict substantial costs before denying them The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that employers can only deny an employee’s request for a religious accommodation under federal law if they can prove it would result in substantial increased costs for the business. In a…
Religious Charter Schools: Another Brick in the Wall of Separation?
The idea that religion should be isolated from our civil institutions has overwhelmingly captured the American popular imagination . Recently however, the U.S. Supreme Court has been dismantling this “wall of separation” narrative, brick by brick, to allow more freedom for private religious expression and activity. Over the past year,…