Religion & Law

Casey Mattox: The story behind Widmar v. Vincent, Part I

Posted on May 10, 2010
ADF Attorney [Casey Mattox] writing at speakupmovement.org/university: "If you are ? or have been in the past 30 years ? part of a religious student group on a public university campus (or for that matter on a high school campus), you owe that privilege to the decision of a group of college students in Kansas City in 1977...

University of Calgary: ?Anti-abortion display was misconduct?

Posted on May 10, 2010
CBC: "Eight University of Calgary students engaged in non-academic misconduct when they refused to turn their graphic anti-abortion signs away from passersby on campus, the school's vice-provost has ruled. The students, who are members of the Campus Pro-Life Club, were accused of failing to comply with campus security procedures in connection with a display they put up in April depicting aborted fetuses...

FL: Abortion debate could continue, even with Crist?s decision

Posted on May 10, 2010
Florida Times-Union: "Whether Gov. Charlie Crist vetoes a controversial abortion bill or not, it might not really matter. If he signs it, the bill would almost certainly be headed for the courts. If he vetoes it - as he is hinting he might - the Legislature could pass it again next year...

?Gay candidate could be first for Ohio House?

Posted on May 10, 2010
Dayton Daily News: "A woman running for a seat in the Ohio House could become the state's first openly gay legislator. [Nickie Antonio] is a Democrat running in a solidly Democratic district in suburban Cleveland."

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Sestak seizes on Specter?s past vote against Kagan

Posted on May 10, 2010
Google News (AP): "Specter, then a Republican, voted against Kagan's nomination as solicitor general in March 2009. In a statement on Monday, Sestak said he expects Specter 'may backtrack from his earlier vote on Ms. Kagan this week in order to help himself in the upcoming primary election, but the people of Pennsylvania have no way of knowing where he will stand after May 18...

Utah: Duo didn?t wed, but they did divorce

Posted on May 10, 2010
Deseret News: "A Utah Supreme Court ruling issued Friday could open a door to recognition of gay marriage, polygamy and underage marriage in Utah, an attorney says . . . The Utah Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, ruled that a 4th District judge who issued a divorce decree to Neldon and Ina Johnson in 2001 did have the authority to do that...

?Toronto gay pride denied federal funds?

Posted on May 10, 2010
CBC: "Organizers of Toronto's gay pride festival were surprised and angry Friday at the Conservative government's decision to drop the lucrative and popular event from its tourism stimulus package. Pride Toronto was not on the list of over 50 festivals awarded grants on Friday as part of the federal government's two-year, $100-million Marquee Tourism program...

U.S. Senator Inhofe (Okla. ? R) Opposes Kagan to Supreme Court

Posted on May 10, 2010
Oklahoma Senator Inhofe  press release: "U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) today announced his opposition to President Obama?s nominee, Solicitor General Elena Kagan, to fill the Supreme Court seat being vacated by Justice John Paul Stevens . . . "

UK?s Brown to resign with government at stake

Posted on May 10, 2010
Associated Press: "British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a dramatic bid to keep his beleaguered Labour Party in power after it was punished in elections last week, announcing Monday he will resign by September at the latest even if the Liberal Democrats - being wooed by the Conservatives - decide to join his party in government...

Will Republicans Filibuster Kagan?s Nomination?

Posted on May 10, 2010
Brandon Bartels writes at the Concurring Opinion Blog: "Republicans will likely pick up seats in the senate as a result of the midterm elections. Republicans may be thinking: Let?s make Obama nominate someone in a new political context in January ? one that will likely be more favorable toward Republicans...

Jeremiah Dys: ?The Dance of Dodging Democracy?

Posted on May 10, 2010
Jeremia Dys writes at the Engage Family Blog: "It has been going on for some time, so long, in fact, it?s become the running American joke.  Politicians promise one thing, do another, cry mea culpa, get re-elected, and repeat.  This dance of dodging democracy has maneuvered families and churches out of step with the original American ideal of self-governance...

Biden Aide Bolsters Kagan?s Liberal Credentials

Posted on May 10, 2010
Blog of the Legal Times: "Vice President Biden's chief of staff Ron Klain said the nominee is 'clearly a legal progressive' whose 'pragmatic perspective' will be an important addition to the Court. Asked to elaborate, Klain cited aspects of her resume, not any expressed views...

ADF on Supreme Court nomination: Judges should rule according to the Constitution

Posted on May 10, 2010
With President Barack Obama?s nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan for the U.S. Supreme Court, attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund reiterated their position on all judicial appointments: that liberty is only safe when judges rule according to the law and the Constitution and do not legislate from the bench.

MI: ?Hope College board keeps homosexuality policy?

Posted on May 10, 2010
WOODTV: "The board of Hope College has declined to remove a 1995 policy that condemns homosexual behavior and advocacy."

India: Principal suspended after Muslim girl alleges discrimination over headscarf

Posted on May 10, 2010
Christian Today: "The principal of a church-run school in Alappuzha District, Kerala was suspended for issuing a Transfer Certificate to a Muslim student who insisted on wearing a headscarf. The decision to suspend principal Mary Jessintha was taken by the management of Believers Church English Medium School, Gurupuram, after protests erupted over Nabala, a Class 10 student, expelled from the school for wearing a veil...

Senate Judiciary documents from Kagan?s nomination as Solicitor General

Posted on May 10, 2010
The Senate Judiciary Committee carries a substantial amount of documentation from her nomination as Solicitor General.

FEC Vindicates Iowa Christian Alliance

Posted on May 07, 2010
The FEC has found that there is no reason to believe the Iowa Christian Alliance, president Steve Scheffler, or board chairman and treasurer Morris Hurd violated the Federal Election Campaign Act.

Obama?s court pick likely to come on Monday

Posted on May 07, 2010
Politico: "Look for President Obama to name his Supreme Court pick Monday, and look for it to be Solicitor General Elena Kagan, a former Harvard Law dean. The pick isn?t official, but top White House aides will be shocked if it?s otherwise."

David Hacker: When did our Constitution get a disclaimer?

Posted on May 07, 2010
ADF attorney David Hacker writes at Speak Up Movement: University: "But Eugene Volokh points out that a publisher is placing the following disclaimer on all its books, including its pocket Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation ...

?NH Gov. Defends Gay Marriage ?Legacy.??

Posted on May 07, 2010
New American: "New Hampshire Governor John Lynch said he is proud of having signed the state's same-sex marriage law last year and will fight any effort by 'the forces of discrimination and division' to repeal it."

AARP Survey: Only 22% of Americans over 45 think nonmarital sex is wrong

Posted on May 07, 2010
FirstCoastNews.com: - "Americans 45 and older are far more open to sex outside of marriage than they were 10 years ago, but they're engaging in sex less often and with less satisfaction, according to a major new survey . . . "

Kansas lawmaker proposes levying sales tax on abortions.

Posted on May 07, 2010
Think Progress: "Yesterday, lawmakers in Kansas proposed a new way to stigmatize abortion and place it out of reach of even more lower income women: taxing it. David Klepper of the Kansas Star reports that State Sen. Mary Pilcher (R) introduced the measure as an alternative revenue raiser ...

Iowa: ?Gay marriage? opponent questions family camping policy for state parks

Posted on May 07, 2010
Radio Iowa: "Senator Merlin Bartz, a Republican from Grafton, says it appears to him that the Department of Natural Resources wants to make gay couples eligible for family camping at state parks. "They?re citing the Supreme Court case and changing, you know, ?husband and wife? language to ?spouse,?? Bartz says...

DC Federal Appeals Court Rules Against Challenge to ?So Help Me God? in Oath

Posted on May 07, 2010
Blog of the Legal Times: "A federal appeals court in Washington today dismissed as moot a challenge to the religious components of last year's inaugural ceremony, including the inaugural prayer and presidential oath, and the court said the plaintiffs do not have standing to challenge the 2013 and 2017 inaugurations...

David French: I was wrong about marriage

Posted on May 07, 2010
ADF Attorney David French writing at speakupmovement.org/university: "For some time after the Massachusetts decision, I supported legalizing same-sex marriage ? or, to be more precise, I did not oppose its legalization. Why? I can basically sum it up in one sentence...

TX: JPL scientist gives keynote speech at Mayor?s Prayer Breakfast

Posted on May 07, 2010
Pasadena Star-News: "Usually fairly subdued, the event, along with the city's Day of Prayer at the Rose Bowl, triggered some concern among city officials this year, following a U.S. District Court judge's ruling in Wisconsin last month that the National Day of Prayer violates the constitutional separation of church and state...

University of Wisconsin continues plan to offer late abortions, disputes AG?s letter

Posted on May 07, 2010
Medical News Today: "The University of Wisconsin's health system on Wednesday clarified that it is moving forward with plans to offer abortions from 19 to 22 weeks' gestation at a Madison surgery center, after a letter from a state Justice Department attorney last week suggested otherwise, the AP/CNBC reports ...

Daniel Blomberg: Chaplains get it right about dangers of normalizing homosexual behavior in military

Posted on May 07, 2010
"Politicizing the military may be acceptable to those who are willing to place their agenda over the First Amendment, but chaplains will not allow the Good News to become a politically-correct gospel."

Phoenix churches ring bell of victory

Posted on May 07, 2010
OneNewsNow: "'Bishop Rick Painter's conviction for ringing his church bells has been overturned by the state court,' Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorney [Erik Stanley] reports. 'This comes on the heels of a federal court decision where the federal court in Phoenix decided that the Phoenix noise ordinance was unconstitutional as it had been applied to prohibit the ringing of church bells in Phoenix,' he adds...

Tennessee Abortion Opt-Out Becomes Law without Gov.?s Signature

Posted on May 07, 2010
LifeSiteNews: "A Tennessee law opting the state out of the new national health care reform?s abortion mandate went into effect Wednesday, after Democratic governor Phil Bredesen refused to either sign or veto legislation passed by overwhelming majorities in both chambers of Tennessee?s state house...

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