Religion & Law

Louisiana Senate Approves Ultrasound Bill Helping Women Ahead of Abortions

Posted on May 19, 2010
LifeNews: "The Louisiana state Senate has approved an ultrasound bill that will help women get a view of their unborn child before deciding to have an abortion. The pro-life measure now heads to the state House, which is expected to sign off on it and advance it to Governor Bobby Jindal ...

Supreme Court Continues to Impose Its Own Morality on States

Posted on May 19, 2010
"In a strong dissent, Justice Thomas (joined by Justice Scalia, and in part by Justice Alito) objected that the Court is substituting its own moral judgment for that of the people of Florida . . . "

The IRS Cracks Down on Small Charities

Posted on May 19, 2010
Suzanne Garment writes at the Wall Street Journal full access via Google: "The IRS uses Form 990 to verify that charitable organizations meet the conditions for receiving tax-deductible contributions and qualifying for tax exemptions. Until now, the smallest charities did not have to file 990s...

Media groups seek to televise final stage of Prop. 8 trial

Posted on May 19, 2010
Mercury News: "Media organizations have asked a federal judge to approve televising and webcasting the closing arguments in the historic trial involving a legal challenge to California's ban on same-sex marriages."

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Specter Down, Paul Up: Another bad night for the Beltway.

Posted on May 19, 2010
Wall Street Journal full access via Google: "The establishment of both political parties took another pounding last night, as candidates anointed by the powers that be lost their primary races in convincing fashion. The ideological polarization we spied in Utah two weeks ago was on display again in Pennsylvania and Kentucky, while the GOP House campaign committee suffered its third embarrassment in a year...

Sen. Specter loses to Sestak in primary, ends three-decade career

Posted on May 19, 2010
The Hill: "Arlen Specter lost the Pennsylvania Democratic Senate nomination Tuesday, effectively ending a Senate career that spanned three decades . . . "

Calling the teacher?s union?s bluffs in Rhode Island

Posted on May 19, 2010
Frederick M. Hess writes at National Review: "In February, Superintendent Fran Gallo fired every teacher at Central Falls High School after they refused to get on board with her efforts to transform the poorly performing school ? the teachers had previously embraced the transformation model, because it would protect their jobs, but then decided they didn?t want any measures that would, you know, actually transform the school...

NH: HSLDA Challenges Absurd Ruling in State Supreme Court

Posted on May 19, 2010
HSLDA: "Home School Legal Defense Association has filed a friend of the court brief in a New Hampshire custody case that threatened to establish a rule that could be harmful to homeschoolers. In a case that has made headlines across the country, a trial court ordered a homeschooled girl into public school based in large part on non-expert testimony of the guardian ad litem (GAL) assigned to the case...

George F. Will: Slow learners at the 9th Circuit

Posted on May 19, 2010
"The case concerns an Arizona school choice program that has been serving low- and middle-income families for 13 years. The state grants a tax credit to individuals who donate to nonprofit entities that award scholarships for children to attend private schools -- including religious schools ...

The Supreme Court?s Decision About Sexually Dangerous Federal Prisoners: Could It Hold the Key to the Constitutionality of the Individual Mandate to Buy Health Insurance?

Posted on May 19, 2010
Michael C. Dorf writes at Findlaw: "On Monday, in United States v. Comstock, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the power of the federal government to confine mentally ill, sexually dangerous prisoners beyond the expiration of their criminal sentences. Interesting in its own right, the case also provides a window into the thinking of the various Justices on core questions of federalism...

Kagan hearing to begin June 28

Posted on May 19, 2010
The Hill: "Elena Kagan's hearing for Supreme Court confirmation is scheduled to begin June 28, according to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)."

Thesis Is Window on Roots of Kagan?s Legal Creed

Posted on May 19, 2010
Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Peter Baker write at the NY Times:  "As a young graduate student, Elena Kagan wrote that it was 'not necessarily wrong or invalid' for judges to 'try to mold and steer the law' to achieve social ends, but warned that such rulings must be rooted in legal principles to be accepted by society and endure...

ADF files motion to intervene after European court oversteps Italy?s decision on crosses in schools

Posted on May 19, 2010
Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed a motion to intervene Wednesday on behalf of 32 members of the European Parliament from 11 nations supporting Italy in a forthcoming appeal of a ruling from the Second Section of the European Court of Human Rights.

SCOTUS Petitions to watch includes 2 RLUIPA cases and a school choice

Posted on May 19, 2010
SCOTUS Blog has published its most recent list of petitions to watch. The list includes 2 RLUIPA cases and a school choice case that should be of interest to ADF Alliance Alert readers.

AZ: Early election results point to passage of Prop 100

Posted on May 19, 2010
AZ Republic: "The measure increases the state sales tax by 1 cent per dollar, to 6.6 cents. It will take effect in two weeks."

Rand Paul tapped into ?anger?

Posted on May 19, 2010
Politico: "Rand Paul, the first-time candidate for elective office who has emerged as a symbol of the national tea party's clout in Republican politics, appears to have clinched the GOP's nomination for this state's open Senate seat ? in a victory certain to jolt the political order in Kentucky and across the country ...

Pat Toomey wins GOP Senate nomination in Pa.

Posted on May 19, 2010
AP: "Former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey is the Republican nominee to run for Senate in Pennsylvania."

FEMA: Sorry photog asked faith shirts be removed

Posted on May 19, 2010
AP: "The top officer for FEMA said one of the agency's videographers was 'absolutely wrong' to ask Mississippi church volunteers not to wear religious T-shirts for a video about tornado cleanup . . . "He said, 'We would like to ask you to change your shirt because we don't want anything faith-based,'" Lott said Tuesday...

Activists seize control of politics

Posted on May 19, 2010
Politico: "The 2010 electorate has swallowed an emetic ? disgorging in a series of retching convulsions officeholders in both parties who seem to embody conventional Washington politics . . . What?s now clear, in a way that wasn?t before, is that these results reflect a genuine national phenomenon, not simply isolated spasms in response to single issues or local circumstances ...

Muslims protest as French Cabinet gets veil ban bill

Posted on May 19, 2010
AP: "One runs her own company, another is a housewife and a third, a divorcee, raises her children by herself. Like nearly 2,000 other Muslim women who freely wear face-covering veils anywhere in France, their lives will soon change and they are worried...

Federal judge dismisses Nampa charter school lawsuit against state over religious texts

Posted on May 19, 2010
The Republic: "A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against the state by a Nampa charter school over plans by school administrators to use the Bible and other religious texts as a classroom teaching tool . . . At the time, the school's attorney, David Cortman, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, complained that he had never seen such a broad-reaching ban on using the Bible as a resource in public schools...

AZ school convinced prayer ?fully constitutional?

Posted on May 19, 2010
One News Now: 'We were very happy to hear that Mohave Community College had made the right decision and decided to celebrate the religious heritage of its students rather than squelch it,' comments Travis Barham, litigation counsel for ADF."

Jordan Lorence: ?Censorship of Students via ?Trademark? Law?

Posted on May 19, 2010
Jordan Lorence writes at the Speak Up Blog via the Christian Post: "Our friends at FIRE have written about the absurd attempts by the University of California-Berekely to restrict the names of student organizations can call themselves by claiming 'trademark' rights over words such as 'Cal' and 'California,' and even some restrictions on the use of 'Berkeley...

Joel Oster: ?Intolerant Tolerance: A Perverted Politically Correct Agenda?

Posted on May 19, 2010
Joel Oster writes at the Speak Up Blog via the Christian Post: "The Pentagon dis-invited Franklin Graham from its National Prayer Day observances. Why would Pentagon officials boot Franklin, when the Commander-in-Chief was praying with his father Billy just a few days earlier? The reason is because Islamic groups like the Council on American-Islamic Relations demanded that the Pentagon rescind its offer to Rev...

GA: Tea party group holds pastors breakfast

Posted on May 19, 2010
Citizen.com: "It was a different kind of venue for the South Atlanta Tea Party. The grassroots group sponsored its first pastors breakfast May 12 at the Tyrone Depot. Speakers at the breakfast included Ken Fletcher of the Alliance Defense Fund and Gary DeMar of American Vision...

Muslim anger prompts Pakistan to block Facebook

Posted on May 19, 2010
AP: "Pakistan's government ordered Internet service providers to block Facebook on Wednesday amid anger over a page that encourages users to post images of Islam's Prophet Muhammad."

LA: Senate panel approves ?religious freedom? bill sought by social conservatives

Posted on May 19, 2010
The Times-Picayune: "In a divided vote, the Senate Judiciary B Committee endorsed a bill Tuesday that social conservatives and religious advocacy groups say is needed to fortify religious freedom protections under Louisiana law." | SB 606

Judiciary Chairman: Kagan hearings start in June

Posted on May 19, 2010
AP: "The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman moved quickly Wednesday to advance Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan down a so-far smooth road to confirmation, setting hearings for June 28."

California Muslim Endorses Genocide of Jews

Posted on May 19, 2010
Europe News: "A Muslim student at the University of California at San Diego last week endorsed a new genocide of Jews. Although one can only imagine the media hue and cry had a conservative student said this, the liberal media has not found Jumanah Imad Albahri?s statement fit to print...

Second Mosque Planned Near World Trade Center

Posted on May 19, 2010
Europe News: "The World Trade Center site is turning into a mosque magnet. Just two weeks after the Cordoba Initiative sparked controversy with their plans for a 13-story mosque and cultural center near ground zero, FOX News reported Monday that a second mosque wants to build nearby as well...

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