News from around the world. Curated by Mark McDowell. Posts do not constitute agreement or endorsement.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is renewing its demand that the Federal Emergency Management Agency rescind a proposed $1 million-plus handout for a Kentucky church/tornado shelter. In 2021, a concerned city resident and taxpayer in Versailles, Ky., had alerted FFRF about an official decision to spend public funds to pay…
A decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowing Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Wayne Mack to start his court proceeding with prayer will stand after the deadline to appeal the ruling passed. A decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowing Precinct 1 Justice…
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…
Most Americans take for granted the ability to attend church on Sunday. In fact, even those whose employers are open seven days a week are still often able to attend church through religious accommodation granted by the employer. Federal law protects employees’ rights to religious accommodation to attend worship services.…
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…
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…
Solomon D. Stevens A recent poll by the Public Religion Research Institute of the Brookings Institution on the religious beliefs of Americans has highlighted once again our deep disagreements about the relationship of religion and politics in America. Most people who call themselves liberals believe that our Constitution establishes a…
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders has yet to officially appear on the sidelines for the Buffaloes after taking the job in December, but he’s already at the center of controversy over his religion. Sanders was known for expressing his strong belief in God when it came to his coaching style…
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…
The U.S. Supreme Court has accepted a case that will shed light on what types of religious accommodations would be considered an excessive burden on employers. The court will hear the case during this term, but a date for oral arguments hasn’t been set yet. Background Under federal law, employers…
COMMENTARY BY Baker Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, manages his shop in Lakewood, Colo. August 15, 2018. Hyoung Chang / The Denver Post / Getty Images Key Takeaways The Colorado Court of Appeals decided that Jack Phillips violated state law by declining to create a custom cake to celebrate…
Siri & Glimstad’s Allison Lucas and Aaron Siri analyze the role Title VII should play when employers review requests for religious exemption from vaccine boosters. They say employees who demonstrate sincerely held religious beliefs are entitled to accommodation. Employers that mandate a Covid-19 vaccine booster may be hasty to deny…
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination "because of…religion." The U.S. Supreme Court recently agreed to hear a case that asks whether that law requires the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to accommodate a religious postal employee who refuses to work on Sundays. The case is…
New poll finds overturning Roe won’t have significant impact on midterms. In what is certain to be another high-profile addition to its docket this term, the Supreme Court has granted review in Groff v. DeJoy — a case in which the religious rights of employees will take center stage. The…
The Colorado baker who won a partial U.S. Supreme Court victory after refusing to make a gay couple’s wedding cake because of his Christian faith lost an appeal Thursday in his latest legal fight, involving his rejection of a request for a birthday cake celebrating a gender transition. The Colorado…
The Freedom From Religion Foundation today won its case before an appeals court against the Texas governor’s censorship of its Capitol display. After Gov. Greg Abbott and the State Preservation Board blatantly and illegally censored FFRF’s display in the Texas Capitol in 2015, Abbott and the board have fought every…
A baker who refused to make a cake for a gay couple’s wedding citing his Christian faith has lost a fresh appeal in Colorado court. On Thursday, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that the cake Autumn Scardina requested from Jack Phillips and Masterpiece Cakeshop , which was to be…
As Neal McCluskey explored yesterday, education involves “developing the minds—and for many, the souls— of human beings.” This basic truth has resulted in education being a common battleground since the early days of state involvement. Not surprisingly, most of these battles have been around religion, which is a primary way…
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination "because of…religion." The U.S. Supreme Court recently agreed to hear a case that asks whether that law requires the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to accommodate a religious postal employee who refuses to work on Sundays. The case is…
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case challenging restrictions on the use of American Rescue Plan Act funding but will hear a case concerning religious accommodation. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up the case of Missouri v. Yellen , in which Missouri challenged restrictions on the…
The U.S. Supreme Court has accepted a case that will shed light on what types of religious accommodations would be considered an excessive burden on employers. The court will hear the case during this term, but a date for oral arguments hasn’t been set yet. Background Under federal law, employers…