Religion & Law

Catholic School Teacher Fired For Facebook Posting Gets Unemployment Comp

Posted on May 28, 2010
Religion Clause Blog: "An Iowa administrative law judge has held that a fired Catholic school teacher is entitled to unemployment compensation benefits because the school failed to prove misconduct . . . The administrative law judge ruled, however, that the postings "did not involve publicly advocating principles contrary to the teachings of the church and did not involve immoral conduct...

Russian web hosts tackle child porn

Posted on May 28, 2010
UKPA: "Major Russian internet hosting companies have signed a declaration on joint policies aimed at fighting child pornography and hate speech."

Amicus curiae and Supreme Court case selection

Posted on May 28, 2010
SCOTUS Blog: "Political scientists Gregory Caldeira and John Wright have attempted to answer that question.  In a recent paper, entitled Organized Interests Before the Supreme Court:  Setting the Agenda, they have followed up on their influential 1988 article examining the role of amicus briefs in Supreme Court case selection...

Bachmann military prayer amendment defeated

Posted on May 28, 2010
Minnesota Independent: "After pressure from church-state separation groups, House leaders rejected Rep. Michele Bachmann?s amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which would?ve allowed chaplains to insert their personal religious beliefs into non-religious events...

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Would $23 billion solve the problem? In Michigan 2/3 of each new education dollar goes to pensions and healthcare

Posted on May 28, 2010
. . . He pointed out that two-thirds of each new dollar provided to schools is consumed by health care and pension costs . . . "

100,000 teachers might get laid off nationwide

Posted on May 28, 2010
Washington Post: "Senior congressional Democrats and the Obama administration scrambled Wednesday to line up support for $23 billion in federal aid to avert an estimated 100,000 or more school layoffs in a brutal year for education budgets coast to coast...

Islamic terrorists strike mosques in Pakistan; 80 dead

Posted on May 28, 2010
AP: "Suspected Islamist militants attacked two mosques packed with hundreds of worshippers from a minority sect in eastern Pakistan on Friday, holding hostages and battling police, officials and witnesses said. Some 80 people died, and dozens were wounded in the worst attack ever against the Ahmadi sect ...

Moscow turns ownership of public monasteries over to Orthodox Church

Posted on May 28, 2010
The Christian Science Monitor: "The stunning 16th-century fortified convent of Novodevichy, a pearl of Russian architecture nestled in a broad bend of the Moskva River about three miles from the Kremlin, is at the heart of a tense battle . . . 'Novodevichy is an outstanding historical monument, and it should be left to professionals to preserve it,' says Alexei Lebedev, with the Institute of Cultural Studies in Moscow, which is run by the Ministry of Culture...

David Cortman on the Janet Mefferd Show: Idaho?s censorship of the Great Books of Western Civilization

Posted on May 28, 2010
ADF attorney David Cortman appeared on the Janet Mefferd Show to discuss Idaho's censorship of the Great Books of Western Civilization in public charter schools. | MP3 13:09 mins

Daniel Blomberg on the radio: Religious liberty and the normalization of homosexual behavior in the military

Posted on May 28, 2010
ADF attorney Daniel Blomberg appeared on radio before yesterday's votes to discuss the impact of the normalization of homosexual behavior in the military on religious freedom. | AFR Focal Point with Bryan Fischer - MP3 25:24 | The Janet Mefferd Show - MP3 17:23 mins

Jeremy Tedesco on Here and Now: Arizona?s school tax credit litigation

Posted on May 28, 2010
ADF attorney Jeremy Tedesco appeared on KJJZZ's Here and Now with Steve Goldstein. Tim Keller of the Institute of Justice and Paul Bender of the ASU College of Law also appeared on the program. | MP3 13:06 mins

Swiss naked hiker wins court appeal

Posted on May 28, 2010
AP: "A Swiss man fined for nude hiking has won an appeal of the 100-franc ($87) penalty because a court decided that the charge of 'indecent behavior' did not apply."

Arizona Legislature Adopts Sweeping Education Reforms

Posted on May 28, 2010
NCPA Policy Digest: "Arizona lawmakers recently enacted some of the most far-reaching K-12 education reforms in the state's history. Several of the bills that Gov. Jan Brewer has signed into law are modeled on Florida's successful reforms implemented a decade ago, says Goldwater vice president of research Matthew Ladner ...

Kagan, as Harvard law school dean, pursued two courses on ?don?t ask? policy

Posted on May 28, 2010
Washinton Post: "Kagan was pursuing two courses at once: While staking out a tough stance against the recruiting, because of the military's ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly, she simultaneously maneuvered to facilitate it behind the scenes. Those watching her up close were divided over whether she was hedging on hard choices or simply trying not to antagonize rival campus factions...

State Department website?s section on ?GLBT adoption?

Posted on May 28, 2010
GLBT Adoption information page at the Office of Children's Issues, United States Department of State.

Presidential Proclamation: ?LGBT pride month?

Posted on May 28, 2010
"Much work remains to fulfill our Nation's promise of equal justice under law for LGBT Americans. That is why we must give committed gay couples the same rights and responsibilities afforded to any married couple, and repeal the Defense of Marriage Act ...

Land urges filibuster of ?Don?t Ask? repeal

Posted on May 28, 2010
Tom Strode write at the Baptist Press: "'I've never known of a better excuse for a filibuster than to stop the Congress of the United States from essentially destroying the greatest military force our nation has ever known.' said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission ...

Statement by the President on votes to repeal DADT

Posted on May 28, 2010
White House Statement on DADT votes: "I have long advocated that we repeal ?Don?t Ask Don?t Tell?, and I am pleased that both the House of Representatives and the Senate Armed Services Committee took important bipartisan steps toward repeal tonight. Key to successful repeal will be the ongoing Defense Department review, and as such I am grateful that the amendments offered by Representative Patrick Murphy and Senators Joseph Lieberman and Carl Levin that passed today will ensure that the Department of Defense can complete that comprehensive review that will allow our military and their families the opportunity to inform and shape the implementation process...

Abortion for mother?s health to be legal in Peru, says Health Ministry

Posted on May 28, 2010
Living in Peru: "The medical protocol for therapeutic abortion, to be used in public health hospitals, may be ready in another two or three months, said the Ministry of Health, Oscar Ugarte."

Oklahoma won?t override veto of abortion funding bill

Posted on May 28, 2010
LifeNews: "The Oklahoma state legislature will not attempt to override a veto by Governor Brad Henry of a fourth pro-life bill. This measure would have allowed the state to opt out of the massive abortion funding found in the government-run health care bill President Barack Obama signed into law...

Human Rights Court to rule on classroom crucifixes June 30th

Posted on May 28, 2010
National Secular Society: "The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg will rule on 30 June on whether to overturn a seven-judge panel?s ruling that crucifixes may not be displayed in Italian classrooms." | Lautsi v. Italy on Wikipedia.

?Gates tells U.S. troops: no gay ban repeal imminent?

Posted on May 28, 2010
Reuters: "Defense Secretary Robert Gates sought on Friday to ease concerns among U.S. troops about plans advancing in Congress to end the military's ban on homosexuals, saying a long, careful review process lay ahead."

Court Decision Possible This Weekend: Judge To Rule In Church Case Regarding Enfield Graduations

Posted on May 28, 2010
Hartford Courant: "Enfield high school seniors may learn this weekend if a federal judge will allow their two high schools to hold graduation ceremonies in a mega-church that the board of education wants to rent for that purpose . . . "

Religious hiring rights in question at Baltimore?s Helping Up Mission

Posted on May 28, 2010
Religion and Ethics Newsweekly: "It?s graduation time at the Helping Up Mission, a nondenominational Christian ministry for poor and homeless men in Baltimore. On this day, several men are being recognized for reaching new stages of success in their recovery from drug and alcohol addiction...

Quebec wants Montreal yeshiva closed

Posted on May 28, 2010
CBC: "Quebec's education ministry is seeking a court injunction to shut down a private Jewish school in Montreal for not maintaining scholastic standards . . . The yeshiva receives no provincial funding and does not hold a permit to teach, which contravenes Quebec's education law...

Morocco holds abortion conference

Posted on May 28, 2010
News 24: "Medical experts were joined on Friday by jurists, religious leaders and politicians in a first major bid to discuss what to do about clandestine abortions and unwanted pregnancies in Morocco."

Thomas More Society appeals in effort to end delay of Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act

Posted on May 28, 2010
Christian Newswire: "Today, attorneys from the Thomas More Society filed an appeal in an effort to vacate the stay Judge Daniel Riley imposed on the implementation of the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act, arguing that there is no legal basis to further delay the law...

ADF Alliance Alert Memorial Day Publication Schedule

Posted on May 28, 2010
The ADF Alliance Alert Categorical Email Digest will not be published on Monday, May 31st as we honor those who have sacrificed for our nation. Posts may appear on the website in the event of breaking news. Normal publication will resume on Tuesday, June 1st.

PA: Pittsburgh told to pay fees to abortion protester

Posted on May 28, 2010
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer on Thursday granted a request from Mary Kathryn Brown and ordered the city to pay $209,276 in attorney fees and costs, mostly to attorneys from The Alliance Defense Fund, for representing Brown in federal court...

CO: Lawsuit against Governor alleges violations of Colorado Constitution

Posted on May 28, 2010
Greeley Gazette: "The executive director of the Christian Family Alliance and a conservative organization have initiated a lawsuit against Colorado Governor Bill Ritter and Jim Martin, the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) ...

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