Religion & Law

Supreme Court decides Mojave Cross Memorial can stay

Posted on April 29, 2010
Christian Singles & Spirituality Examiner: "'The ACLU and its allies should not be able to demolish war memorials based on the objection of one person who can?t seriously claim to have suffered harm from it,' said ADF Senior Counsel [Jordan Lorence]...

Supreme Court OKs Mojave War Memorial cross transfer

Posted on April 29, 2010
Christian Examiner: "'The ACLU and its allies should not be able to demolish war memorials based on the objection of one person who can?t seriously claim to have suffered harm from it,' said ADF Senior Counsel Jordan Lorence. 'Americans want memorials to our nation's fallen heroes protected...

Military chaplains urge Obama to maintain ban on open homosexuals in military

Posted on April 29, 2010
LifeSiteNews: "The Family Research Council (FRC) and the Alliance Defense Fund Wednesday released a letter signed by the chaplains expressing concern over what they claim would be a threat to Christian free speech if the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' (DADT) policy on open homosexuals in the military were to be lifted...

Repealing DADT will infringe on religious freedom within the military, say Christian advocates

Posted on April 29, 2010
Talk Radio News: "'This will create a conflict for the chaplains if they preach or council soldiers, airmen, sailors, etcetera, that marriage is only one man and one women [and] certain types of sexual behavior are immoral. They will be in conflict with military policy if this law is changed by Congress,' said [Jordan Lorence] with the Alliance Defense Fund...

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Scalia notes that ?democracy takes a certain amount of civic courage?

Posted on April 29, 2010
Metro Weekly: "Scalia was ? unsurprisingly ? the most pointed in his questions but, more surprisingly to some, found himself on the same side of the argument as those LGBT groups and opposing the briefs filed by the Alliance Defense Fund and the National Organization for Marriage...

Federal Court: NJ school board can?t abort student pro-life event

Posted on April 29, 2010
LifeSiteNews: "A federal court ruled Thursday that the Bridgeton Board of Education should not have prohibited a student at Bridgeton High School from expressing a religious viewpoint on the 6th annual Pro-life Day of Silent Solidarity. Alliance Defense Fund filed the lawsuit on behalf of the student in November of last year...

?Don?t Ask, Don?t Tell? debate divides religious leaders

Posted on April 29, 2010
Hampton Roads Military: "First on Wednesday came the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian-based legal alliance of groups. It announced that more than 40 retired military chaplains have signed a letter to President Obama addressing 'religious liberty concerns' if 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is overturned...

ACLU-TN Urges Governor to Veto Legislation Restricting Abortion Coverage

Posted on April 29, 2010
"The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU-TN) late yesterday sent a letter to Governor Bredesen urging him to veto SB 2686/HB 2681, which would prevent any woman purchasing a qualified health plan through a state exchange from obtaining coverage for abortion...

?Openly gay students in Tennessee fight for their rights?

Posted on April 29, 2010
The Tennessean: "This month, [Cole] Goforth called the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, becoming one of a growing number of openly gay high school students demanding equal treatment. Complaints from these students and their supporters are raising legal questions and prompting lawsuits in Middle Tennessee and other parts of the South...

Greg Baylor: Perhaps the worst op-ed on CLS v. Martinez

Posted on April 29, 2010
ADF Attorney Gregory S. Baylor writing at speakupmovement.org/university: "The essay?s author, John K. Wilson, bizarrely contends that public universities will be required to 'enforce' a religious student group?s own leadership and voting membership criteria...

UK: ?Ex-archbishop attacks judges over gay counselling ruling?

Posted on April 29, 2010
The Guardian: "The former archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey today accused judges of moving towards a new 'secular state' that would downgrade the rights of religious believers. Attacking a 'deeply worrying' court ruling, Carey claimed the judiciary was now tipping the legal balance against believers in 'a deeply unedifying collision of human rights'...

Pakistan?s religious minorities gain representation in senate

Posted on April 29, 2010
Christian Today: "Under the 18th amendment, there will now be four reserved seats for religious minorities in the senate, in addition to the existing 100 seats. It means that each of Pakistan?s four provinces will have its own non-Muslim representative in Parliament...

Kenyan Anglicans reject draft Constitution

Posted on April 29, 2010
Capital News: "The Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) has formally declared its opposition to the draft Constitution, ending weeks of speculation that it would break ranks with other churches."

VA: Jewish groups call on McDonnell to change ?Jesus? prayer policy

Posted on April 29, 2010
Washington Post | Virginia Politics: "The Jewish Federation communities of the Commonwealth wrote a letter to Gov. Bob McDonnell asking him to reconsider his decision yesterday that lifted a ban on Virginia State Police troopers referring to Jesus Christ in public prayers...

Belgium lower house approves burqa ban

Posted on April 29, 2010
JURIST: "The Belgian House of Representatives on Thursday voted 136-0 to approve a bill that would ban the Islamic burqa and other full face veils in public." | For related information see this ADF Alliance Alert compound tag: http://www.alliancealert...

New York proposes ?presumed consent? organ harvesting law

Posted on April 29, 2010
LifeSiteNews: "Citing the shortage in organs available for transplant, a state assemblyman in New York has proposed that all citizens of the state become automatically enrolled as candidates for organ harvesting. New York State Assemblyman Richard Brodsky has introduced a new bill in Albany that aims to enroll all New Yorkers as organ donors unless they take action to opt out...

New US House bill would overturn last meaningful restrictions on international abortion funding

Posted on April 29, 2010
C-FAM: "Last Friday, a Congresswoman from Brooklyn, New York introduced a bill in the United States House of Representatives that would greatly expand international funding for abortion, contraception, and sex education, and would effectively eliminate the long-standing Helms Amendment prohibiting the use of U...

Mexico: Proposed law would send doctors who don?t suggest abortion to jail

Posted on April 29, 2010
FOX News: "Doctors who fail to inform their pregnant patients that they have the legal right to have an abortion -- or who refuse to refer women to doctors who perform abortions -- could be thrown into the slammer for up to four years, if the dominant political party in Mexico City's legislature has its way...

English Bishops? Catholic Education Service hits out at pro-life critics

Posted on April 29, 2010
LifeSiteNews: "The UK?s Catholic Education Service has hit back at pro-life critics of the organization?s newly appointed deputy director, a former Labour party MP with a long anti-life and anti-family voting record."

Liberal Toronto Star set to take over Canada?s last conservative newspaper

Posted on April 29, 2010
LifeSiteNews: "Torstar Corporation, publisher of the Toronto Star, is emerging as a favorite to buy cash-strapped Canwest Global Communications Corp.?s insolvent newspaper assets, including the National Post, the Globe and Mail reported."

?The future of the abortion-rights movement?

Posted on April 29, 2010
Newsweek: "Earlier this month, NEWSWEEK published an article on what?s been called the 'graying' of the abortion-rights movement: the idea that older women are promoting the cause while younger women are uninvolved. It's a concern that's been raised before and that left younger pro-choice activists asking, 'What about us?' What resulted was a spirited and informative debate online, where abortion rights activists of all ages discussed what role younger women play in the movement and what the future of that movement looks like...

India: Christians attacked by Hindu extremists, arrested by police

Posted on April 29, 2010
Spero News: "A gang of Hindu extremists affiliated with the Bajrang Dal attacked a group of Christian women and children who were coming from a peace festival. The incident occurred last night around 11.30 in a village in the State of Karnataka. During the attack, the Hindu extremists called in police who instead of stopping the attackers arrested the women and children...

California same-sex ?marriage? ban trial to close in June

Posted on April 29, 2010
Reuters: "Judge Vaughn Walker tentatively set the date for June 16, said Andrew Pugno, a lawyer for the coalition defending the ban passed by voters in 2008. Gay rights activists also said the hearing would be in June, with the date subject to agreement between the judge and lawyers...

Senate Committee Advances Federal Court Camera Access

Posted on April 29, 2010
Blog of the Legal Times: "The Senate Judiciary Committee passed several measures today addressing greater transparency in the judicial system?including televising U.S. Supreme Court hearings."

Kansas: Anti-child porn bill approved

Posted on April 29, 2010
WIBW: "Victims of child pornography would be able to sue people who distribute their images for at least $150,000 under a new bill approved by the legislature." | SB 549 | HB 2509

Louisiana bill would require schools to teach sex education

Posted on April 29, 2010
KLFY (AP): "The bill by Democratic Rep. Patricia Smith, of Baton Rouge, would require the courses from grades four through 12 beginning with the 2011-12 school year. It would include teaching about abstinence, contraceptives and sexually transmitted diseases...

ND: Jamestown forum focuses on outside groups in school buildings

Posted on April 29, 2010
The Jamestown Sun: "The public discussed many topics at its state-required community forum Tuesday, but the most talked-about among them was the district?s facility rental policy. The policy was criticized recently after a local pastor said allowing religious-affiliated groups to rent the facility during school hours is improper...

Is Judge Diane Wood too risky a choice for Obama?

Posted on April 29, 2010
Wall Street Journal | Law Blog: "The reason she?s viewed by many as a riskier pick than the others: she?s been relatively outspoken in her support of abortion rights. Koppel writes that Judge Wood has expressed approval for the philosophy behind the Roe v...

NY nurse forced to participate in abortion files additional suit against Mt. Sinai Hospital

Posted on April 29, 2010
"The state suit was filed in addition to pro-life nurse Cathy Cenzon-DeCarlo?s federal lawsuit, which is on appeal, because her rights of conscience are also protected by New York law."

The Gray Lady?s inconsistent defense of the First Amendment

Posted on April 29, 2010
Jacob Sullum writing at Reason Magazine: "From reading New York Times editorials, I gather that the First Amendment protects celebrities who curse on TV and pit bull enthusiasts who sell dogfighting videos. Yet somehow it does not protect conservative activists who hate Hillary Clinton, Christian student groups that exclude people who engage in extramarital sex, or petition signers who fear harassment if they are publicly identified as opponents of gay marriage...

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