Last week, the Supreme Court delivered a major victory for religious schools in two cases, Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Agnes Morrissey-Beru , and St James School v. Biel. As we explained here , the two cases involved the important religious liberty principle called “the ministerial exception.” Broader than…
The Supreme Court Broadens the Berth for Religious Exemptions from Federal and State Anti-Discrimination Law and the Affordable Care Act
In two decisions rendered at the end of its term, the U.S. Supreme Court has broadened the right of religious employers not to follow federal and state law with respect to job discrimination and to restrict the availability of covered birth control for employees under the Affordable Care Act. Broadening…
US Supreme Court lifts ban on state aid to religious schools
(RNS photo by Aaron Schrank) The Supreme Court elated religious free exercise advocates and alarmed secular groups with its June 30 ruling on public funding for religious education, a decision whose long-term effect on the separation of church and state remains to be seen. In Espinoza v. Montana Department of…
The Civics Project: Constitutional ‘wall’ between church and state forever being tested in courts
WASHINGTON — Tom Alexander holds a cross Wednesday outside the U.S. Supreme Court building in on Wednesday as he prays prior to key rulings involving religion. [Patrick Semansky/The Associated Press] Patrick Semansky Hide caption Remember civics class … and not paying attention? These days, we need that civics lesson more…
Letters to the Editor: Discrimination is ungodly — yet religious freedom protects it?
The Supreme Court ruled that St. James Catholic School in Torrance cannot be sued for discrimination after it dismissed a teacher who needed to go on medical leave. To the editor: Society should not have the right to impose its values upon religious groups and institutions in the internal conduct…
The Civics Project: Constitutional ’wall’ between church and state forever being tested | Opinion
The Civics Project Question: The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on state funding for religious schools confuses me. What does the Constitution actually say about religion? Answer: The U.S. Constitution does not say much directly. Article 6: Clause 3 states that “…No religious test shall ever be required as a…
The Civics Project: Constitutional ’wall’ between church and state forever being tested | Opinion
Question: The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on state funding for religious schools confuses me. What does the Constitution actually say about religion? Answer: The U.S. Constitution does not say much directly. Article 6: Clause 3 states that “…No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any…
Has 35 Years Of Deterioration Of Establishment Clause Protection Finally Given The Theocrats Their Victory?
In a 5-4 decision in Espinoza v. Montana , the U.S. Supreme Court held that Montana could not exclude religious schools from a government subsidy program for private education. The Court’s reasoning in Espinoza is that denying government aid to religious schools because of their “religious character” violates the First…
High court sparks new battle over church-state separation
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen Tuesday, June 30, 2020 in Washington. The Supreme Court elated religious freedom advocates and alarmed secular groups with its Tuesday ruling on public funding for religious education, a decision whose long-term effect on the separation of church and state remains to be seen. In…
U.S. Supreme Court Orders Seventh Circuit to Reconsider Decision in WILL Religious Liberty Case
The News : The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty’s (WILL) religious liberty lawsuit, St. Augustine v. Taylor , was remanded by the United States Supreme Court back to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals for reconsideration. This lawsuit poses critical questions on the relationship between religious liberty and government…
High court sparks new battle over church-state separation
By DAVID CRARY and ELANA SCHOR, Associated Press The Supreme Court elated religious freedom advocates and alarmed secular groups with its Tuesday ruling on public funding for religious education, a decision whose long-term effect on the separation of church and state remains to be seen. In Espinoza v. Montana Department…
High court sparks new battle over church-state separation
By DAVID CRARY and ELANA SCHOR, Associated Press The Supreme Court elated religious freedom advocates and alarmed secular groups with its Tuesday ruling on public funding for religious education, a decision whose long-term effect on the separation of church and state remains to be seen. In Espinoza v. Montana Department…
High court sparks new battle over church-state separation
The Supreme Court elated religious freedom advocates and alarmed secular groups with its Tuesday ruling on public funding for religious education, a decision whose long-term effect on the separation of church and state remains to be seen. In Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, the high court ruled 5-4 that…
U.S. Supreme Court Declines Review of Education Case on Use of Salary History
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday declined to take up a case about gender-based pay disparities in education, refusing to review a lower-court ruling that invalidated a California county education agency’s policy of considering new employees’ pay history in setting their salaries. The court issued a brief order without comment…
High court sparks new battle over church-state separation
By David Crary and Elana Schor – Associated Press The Supreme Court elated religious freedom advocates and alarmed secular groups with its Tuesday ruling on public funding for religious education, a decision whose long-term effect on the separation of church and state remains to be seen. In Espinoza v. Montana…
Court upholds abortion-related ruling against Catholic Church
ALBANY – A mid-level appeals court Thursday unanimously rejected the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany’s effort to challenge a state regulation that requires health insurers to cover medically necessary abortions. In a 5-0 decision, the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court’s Third Department upheld a January 2019 ruling by state…
Impact: Supreme Court ruling on Montana case sparks new battle over church-state separation
The Supreme Court elated religious freedom advocates and alarmed secular groups with its Tuesday ruling on public funding for religious education, a decision whose long-term effect on the separation of church and state remains to be seen. In Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, the high court ruled 5-4 that…
High court sparks new battle over church-state separation
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen Tuesday, June 30, 2020 in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) The Supreme Court elated religious freedom advocates and alarmed secular groups with its Tuesday ruling on public funding for religious education, a decision whose long-term effect on the separation of church and state remains…
High court sparks new battle over church-state separation
This photo shows the U.S. Supreme Court building. (Source: CNN, File) (WJRT) (AP) – The Supreme Court elated religious freedom advocates and alarmed secular groups with its Tuesday ruling on public funding for religious education, a decision whose long-term effect on the separation of church and state remains to be…
Commentary: The Supreme Court decision: Fundamental Shift or Preservation of the Status Quo? What religious organizations need to know about hiring
By Allison Carroll The United State Supreme Court handed down its opinion in Bostock v. Clayton County June 15, holding that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’s prohibition against discrimination on the basis of sex encompasses protection for homosexual and transgender individuals in the workplace. Writing for…
Trump Administration Celebrates Supreme Court Ruling on Religious Schools
Source: (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The Trump administration is celebrating Monday’s Supreme Court ruling that deemed the exclusion of religious schools from taxpayer funded scholarships as unconstitutional. As Reagan reported earlier : The Supreme Court sided with a group of families in Montana that challenged a state law which banned scholarship…
Feds slap Stafford County with lawsuit over Muslim cemetery
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Stafford County, claiming it blocked the creation of what would have been a Muslim-owned cemetery in the county. The DOJ says the county violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act — RLUIPA — a federal law that protects religious institutions from…
Department of Justice files suit against Stafford over blocking of Islamic cemetery
Current AMAA cemetery on Brooke Road The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit alleging that Stafford County violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act by enacting overly restrictive zoning regulations prohibiting an Islamic organization from developing a religious cemetery on land it had purchased for that purpose. “Honoring…
Religious liberty, gay rights still at odds with ruling
No doubt about it: Someone will have to negotiate a ceasefire someday between the sexual revolution and traditional religious believers, said Justice Anthony Kennedy just before he left the U.S. Supreme Court. America now recognizes that "gay persons and gay couples cannot be treated as social outcasts or as inferior…
Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Stafford County, Virginia, Over Blocking of Islamic Cemetery
The Justice Department today announced that it has filed a lawsuit alleging that Stafford County, Virginia, violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) by enacting overly restrictive zoning regulations prohibiting an Islamic organization from developing a religious cemetery on land it had purchased for that purpose. That…