News from around the world. Curated by Mark McDowell. Posts do not constitute agreement or endorsement.
Association of Christian Schools International logo. The Association of Christian Schools International, a Colorado Springs-based organization founded in 1978 that aims to advance “excellence in Christian schools by enhancing the professional and personal development of Christian educators and providing vital support functions for Christian schools.” ACSI has over 2,200 member…
COMMENTARY: A decision in the Sandra Pavez case in Chile will have broad implications for the protection of religious liberty globally. Cathedral of San Bernardo, Chile. (photo: Wikimedia Commons) Reconciling respect for Catholic teaching on sexuality with the demands of the LGBT movement is aided by a robust protection of…
Whether or not a religious belief is sincerely held by an applicant or employee is rarely at issue in most religious discrimination lawsuits. With both the EEOC and DFEH guidance requiring employers to accommodate an employee who has a sincerely held religious belief that prevents an employee from receiving any…
Cabinet for Health and Family Services (shown) and Sunrise Children’s Service have not come to an agreement on a 21-year-old case, say Sunrise’s counsel. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (KT) — A long-standing case between Sunrise Children’s Service, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and a former Sunrise employee is far from…
Cabinet for Health and Family Services (shown) and Sunrise Children’s Service have not come to an agreement on a 21-year-old case, say Sunrise’s counsel. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (KT) — A long-standing case between Sunrise Children’s Service, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and a former Sunrise employee is far from…
BOSTON, May 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On behalf of New Life South Coast in New Bedford, Massachusetts, First Liberty Institute, the Massachusetts Family Institute, and the global law firm Jones Day, today filed a lawsuit against Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, New Bedford Mayor Jonathan Mitchell, and several other officials…
The 2021 National Day of Prayer: 2 Corinthians 3:17, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." The 2021 National Day of Prayer: 2 Corinthians 3:17, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there…
A common rallying cry of the right in America, to justify regressive morality laws, is often to say that "America was founded as a Christian country" with "Judeo-Christian values" while the common response from the left is to declare that the United States was founded as an explicitly secular country…
Published in NH Bar News (4/21/2021) In the past several years a number of religious accommodation cases have reached the U.S. Supreme Court, an interesting trend where the religious beliefs and rights of individuals and businesses conflict with other fundamental rights of employees, students, and even the public. The cases…
A lawsuit filed in federal district court argues that a provision of the South Carolina state constitution that bars public funds from being used for the "direct benefit" of religious or other private educational institutions should be struck down because it was born out of racist and anti-Catholic animus. The…
Guest columnist I don’t ascribe to any particular religious denomination or theology. However, I respect that others do. I believe that faith is a private matter of conscience and definitely not the business of the government. Some of the greatest injustices throughout history have resulted from government either fostering or…
Guest Columnist Annie Laurie Gaylor is the co-founder and co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation A proposal to anoint the Bible as Tennessee’s official state book is not only unconstitutional, it is also an affront to true religious freedom. A resolution to do so passed the House on April…
I should not have to care whether my religious beliefs conflict with the majority of those in any branch of our government. The Constitution — as enumerated in Article VI Section 3 and the First Amendment — is supposed to guarantee that government should not care that for the first…
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen at sunset in Washington on Oct. 4, 2018. The Supreme Court is telling California that it can’t enforce coronavirus-related restrictions that have limited home-based religious worship including Bible studies and prayer meetings. The order from the court late Friday, April 9, 2021, is the…
I don’t ascribe to any particular religious denomination or theology. However, I respect that others do. I believe that faith is a private matter of conscience and definitely not the business of the government. Some of the greatest injustices throughout history have resulted from government either fostering or condemning religion.…
This past week I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Jim Oleske , a Professor of Law at Lewis & Clark. Professor Oleske is an expert on the First Amendment’s free exercise clause. A couple years ago, he wrote a prescient law view article that has made him something of…
Crookston Times Growing racial tensions in the United States also bring to the surface another long-standing form of discrimination: anti-Catholicism. Unfortunately, today anti-Catholicism is showing its centuries-old racialized roots. In fact, bias, violence, and even laws against Catholicism date back to the British American colonies that eventually became the United…
This week we highlight cert petitions that ask the Supreme Court to consider, among other things, when religious groups are subject to state-law tort claims and whether a federal agency that enacted a new fishing regulation should have taken into account a pair of early 20th century agreements that preserved…
Nine months after the United States Supreme Court’s historic decision in Bostock , the Texas Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals had to decide whether the interpretation of Title VII’s language in protecting LGBTQ employees also applied to the state’s anti-discrimination statute, the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act (TCHRA) in…
In Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski , 592 U.S. ___ (2021), the United States Supreme Court held that plaintiffs asserting constitutional rights have standing to sue for past injuries, even if they only seek nominal damages. The decision is significant for public entities, but especially public schools, colleges and universities. In Uzuegbunam…
COMMENTARY: The court’s 8-1 decision in Chike Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski is a victory for religious freedom. United States Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. (photo: Brandon Bordages / Shutterstock) The Supreme Court on Monday decided Chike Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski . It’s a huge victory for religious freedom and strikes a…
Knights of Columbus Brief decision that the district court in California made in this case is reversed, then it is certain that American’s principle rights will indeed be abolished. The fundamental rights of American individuals were indeed created by God, and no one, including any governmental authority, has the right…
State Rep. Webster Barnaby has filed a bill seeking to give high schools the right to say anything, including prayers , using the stadium microphone before high-school playoff games. The bill touches on the First Amendment rights to practice one’s faith and free speech and to be free from government-imposed…
State Rep. Webster Barnaby has filed a bill seeking to give high schools the right to say anything, including prayers , using the stadium microphone before high-school playoff games. The bill touches on the First Amendment rights to practice one’s faith and free speech and to be free from government-imposed…
The Supreme Court has lifted California’s ban on indoor church services, ruling that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s strict orders violate the Constitution’s protection of the free exercise of religion. WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has lifted California’s ban on indoor church services during the pandemic, ruling that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s strict…