Religion & Law

Virginia delegate joins Liberty University lawsuit on federal health care bill

Posted on March 25, 2010
Washington Post, Virginia Politicsa: "Del. Kathy Byron (R-Campbell) has joined Liberty University in a lawsuit challenging the federal health care legislation that it filed just before midnight last night."

AZ: Panel OKs ban on abortion coverage for public workers

Posted on March 25, 2010
East Valley Tribune: "[SB 1305], which already has been approved by the Senate, would expand the existing law to say that no government funds can be used, directly or indirectly, to pay for a health insurance policy for workers which includes abortion as a covered service...

Bill in Iceland makes stripping illegal

Posted on March 25, 2010
UPI: "New legislation in Iceland will ban stripteases and prevent clubs from making a profit from employee nudity, authorities say."

Portugal same-sex ?marriage? law still on track

Posted on March 25, 2010
PrideSource (LGBT site): "The court must act on the review by April 8. The bill then will return to the president, who will have 20 more days to mull it over. If he signs it, it becomes law. If he vetoes it, Parliament is expected to pass it again, which would then force Cavaco Silva to sign it...

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GOP senators warn Obama on recess appointment

Posted on March 25, 2010
AP: "All 41 GOP senators sent a letter to Obama on Thursday urging him not to appoint union lawyer Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board when Congress goes into recess starting next week."

?Army general admonished for advocating for gay ban?

Posted on March 25, 2010
"The military's top uniformed officer has publicly admonished a three-star Army general for urging troops to speak out against allowing gays to serve openly . . . "

?Pentagon makes it harder to expel gays in military?

Posted on March 25, 2010
Reuters: "The Pentagon made immediate changes on Thursday to make it harder for the U.S. military to kick out gay personnel, an interim step while Congress debates repealing the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy."

?Lambda Legal, Mazzoni Center Help Defend Philadelphia?s Nondiscrimination Policy Against Boy Scouts Lawsuit?

Posted on March 25, 2010
Lambda Legal: "Late yesterday afternoon, Lambda Legal and Mazzoni Center sought permission to file a friend-of-the-court brief in a federal lawsuit brought by the Cradle of Liberty Council of the Boy Scouts of America challenging the City of Philadelphia's policy requiring nondiscrimination in the use of the City's subsidies...

?Lambda Legal, Mazzoni Center Help Defend Philadelphia?s Nondiscrimination Policy Against Boy Scouts Lawsuit?

Posted on March 25, 2010
Lambda Legal: "Late yesterday afternoon, Lambda Legal and Mazzoni Center sought permission to file a friend-of-the-court brief in a federal lawsuit brought by the Cradle of Liberty Council of the Boy Scouts of America challenging the City of Philadelphia's policy requiring nondiscrimination in the use of the City's subsidies...

Foundation Creating Web Site for Pro Bono Services

Posted on March 25, 2010
Blog of the Legal Times: "The Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of the international news and financial services company, is introducing a new Web site to connect pro bono legal providers with nongovernmental organizations around the world...

NY: Two area strip clubs lose liquor licenses for prostitution, drug dealing

Posted on March 25, 2010
Buffalo News: "State Liquor Authority commissioners today yanked the liquor licenses from two local strip clubs after witnesses told authority investigators that the owners, including Rick Snowden, knew of both prostitution and drug dealing at the establishments raided earlier this month by the FBI...

Washington: ?Oak Harbor bans public nudity, regulates adult businesses?

Posted on March 25, 2010
Seattle Post Intelligencer: "The Oak Harbor City Council approved a trio of laws to ban public nudity, and license and zone adult entertainment within city limits after more than four hours of public comment and discussion."

Strip club ?pole tax? in hands of Texas high court

Posted on March 25, 2010
AP: "The Texas Supreme Court is deciding whether to strip away a $5 entrance fee to watch nude dancers. The court heard arguments Thursday about whether the so-called pole tax, a fee mandated by lawmakers in 2007, is unconstitutional."

Christian Woman Jailed under Pakistan?s ?Blasphemy? Laws

Posted on March 25, 2010
Christian Post: "Police in Alipur have arrested a Christian woman on a baseless accusation of 'blaspheming' the prophet of Islam and tried to keep rights groups from discovering the detention, a Christian leader said."

Dale Showengerdt on True News: Resolution of the Gilbert church zoning case

Posted on March 25, 2010
ADF attorney Dale Schowengerdt appeared on True News to discuss the resolution of the situation in Gilbert, Arizona involving restrictions on religious activities in homes. The MP3 runs approximately 12 minutes.

David French on the Hugh Hewitt Show: Court rules professor?s columns not protected by First Amendment

Posted on March 25, 2010
ADF attorney David French appeared on the Hugh Hewitt Show to discuss this: Judge rules professor?s opinion columns not protected by First Amendment. The MP3 runs about 5 1/2 minutes.

Greg Baylor on the Michael Medved Show: Forcing Christian organizations to accept non-Christian leaders

Posted on March 25, 2010
ADF attorney Greg Baylor appeared on the Michael Medved Show to discuss the Christian Legal Society v. Martinez case that is currently pending at the U.S. Supreme Court. The MP3 runs approximately 32 minutes. ADF Resource Page SCOTUS Wiki

Virginia: Cuccinelli Under Fire

Posted on March 25, 2010
Mattias Caro writes at the Center for a Just Society: "The gay and lesbian lobby would have us think it?s now open season on discrimination in the Commonwealth . . . "

Binyamin Netanyahu humiliated after Barack Obama ?dumped him for dinner?

Posted on March 25, 2010
Telegraph: "For a head of state to visit the White House and not pose for photographers is rare. For a key ally to be left to his own devices while the President withdraws to have dinner in private was, until this week, unheard of. Yet that is how Binyamin Netanyahu was treated by President Obama on Tuesday night ...

Cuban leader applauds US health-care reform bill

Posted on March 25, 2010
Yahoo News (AP): "Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro on Thursday declared passage of American health care reform 'a miracle' and a major victory for Obama's presidency, but couldn't help chide the United States for taking so long to enact what communist Cuba achieved decades ago...

Canadian pro-life victory: Liberal abortion motion defeated

Posted on March 24, 2010
LifeSiteNews: "During a nail-biting session in Canadian parliament Tuesday, the Liberal motion which sought to force Prime Minister Stephen Harper to include abortion in the Canadian plan to address maternal and child health at the G8 summit was defeated in a narrow 144-138 vote...

UK: Govt faith group collapses as secularists hijack agenda

Posted on March 24, 2010
The Christian Institute: "The Times reports that The Religion and Belief Consultative Group is on the brink of disbanding following what the Church of England called an 'impasse' in meetings between secularists and religious believers."

ACLU attacks public funding for USCCB aid to trafficking victims

Posted on March 24, 2010
ACLU: "On Monday, a federal district court in Massachusetts ruled that an ACLU challenge to the government's use of taxpayer dollars to impose religious doctrine on victims of human trafficking may go forward. The decision is a victory for women's health and for the basic constitutional principle that federal dollars cannot be used to favor one religious perspective over all others ...

Israel?s survival at stake, Clinton warns

Posted on March 24, 2010
Financial Times: "Hillary Clinton, US secretary of state, on Monday warned Israel that its survival could be in jeopardy unless it reached a peace deal with the Palestinians . . . "

Gibbons tells Nevada attorney general to sue over federal health care reform

Posted on March 24, 2010
RGJ.com: "Republican Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons is 'directing' Democratic Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto to join 14 other states in suing the federal government over health reform."

Pentagon eyes more ?humane? enforcement of gay ban

Posted on March 24, 2010
Reuters: "The Pentagon, ahead of any repeal of the U.S. military's ban on gays in its ranks, will likely announce steps this week that may soften the blow on homosexuals affected by the 'don't ask, don't tell' law."

Australia: Appeal judge slams ?manifestly inadequate? child porn sentence

Posted on March 24, 2010
Herald Sun: "Justice David Harper described as 'manifestly inadequate' a suspended jail term given to pedophile Laurence D'Alessandro, who was found to have more than 14,000 sick images on his computer of children being abused. The Victorian Court of Appeal overturned the original sentence and jailed D'Alessandro, 24, of Mount Dandenong, for three years with a two-year minimum...

Religious freedom does not require complete secularization, archbishop tells UN

Posted on March 24, 2010
Catholic News Agency: "The leader of the Holy See's delegation to the United Nations in Geneva has advocated a form of religious freedom that does not require 'complete secularization' but sees religion as a 'bridge' to human rights. He also criticized laws against 'defamation' as vague and open to abuse targeting religious minorities...

UK: David Cameron flustered over ?gay rights,? insists Conservative Party ?abhors homophobia?

Posted on March 24, 2010
SKY News: "[David Cameron] suggested gay equality was a fundamental human right - and votes should be whipped - but then appeared to contradict himself . . . later told Channel 4 News: 'No-one should be in any doubt that the Conservative party abhors homophobia, that we support equal rights, that we support civil partnerships, that we think that part of being a strong central right party in Britain today...

Obama Will Sign Disputed Abortion-Health Care Order Today Behind Closed Doors

Posted on March 24, 2010
LifeNews: "In contrast with the campaign-style bill signing ceremony on Tuesday, the signing of the abortion executive order will take place behind closed doors where reporters will not be able to attend."

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