Religion & Law

ACLU could sue Virginia over Pro-choice license plate

Posted on March 17, 2010
WSLS.com: "The ACLU plans to sue the commonwealth if Governor Bob McDonnell vetoes a bill allowing a pro-choice license plate. The General Assembly approved the ?Trust Women. Respect Choice.? plate, with proceeds going to Planned Parenthood."

At-home Bible studies outlawed in Arizona city

Posted on March 17, 2010
The Underground: "In November 2009, city officials in Gilbert, Arizona sent a 'cease and desist' order to a pastor and his wife holding small group Bible studies in their home . . . This month, attorneys from the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed an appeal on behalf of the church group ...

Court denies conservative pundit-professor?s bias claim against university

Posted on March 17, 2010
The Chronicle of Higher Education: "A federal court has rejected a claim that the University of North Carolina at Wilmington committed viewpoint discrimination against Michael S. Adams, a prominent conservative commentator and associate professor of criminology, by denying him a promotion based partly on its review of online columns and other expressions of opinion that he included in his application to move up the ranks ...

Okla. Appeals Court upholds dismissal of same-sex ?divorce? case

Posted on March 17, 2010
LifeSiteNews: ?The Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit that sought a ?divorce? between two women who claimed to have obtained a marriage license in Canada . . . ?The government cannot issue a divorce for a ?marriage? it doesn?t recognize,? said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Austin R...

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Cuccinelli?s office confirms Virginia will sue over health care

Posted on March 17, 2010
Washington Post: "A spokesman for Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II (R) said this afternoon that Virginia will file suit against the federal government if the Democratic health care reform bill is approved by the U.S. Congress . . . "

Idaho first to sign law against health care reform

Posted on March 17, 2010
Google News (AP): "Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter on Wednesday became the first state chief executive to sign a measure requiring his attorney general to sue Congress if it passes health reforms that force residents to buy insurance. Similar legislation is pending in 37 other states nationwide...

Gilbert, AZ shockingly bans home Bible study

Posted on March 17, 2010
Seeing Red AZ: "WorldNetDaily carries the shocking report about the East Valley city of Gilbert, Arizona ordering a group of seven adults to stop gathering for Bible studies in a private home because such meetings are forbidden by the city?s zoning codes ...

?NY gay groups renew push for same-sex marriage vote?

Posted on March 17, 2010
Reuters: "A group called Fight Back New York, created with money from software entrepreneur and openly gay philanthropist Tim Gill, is pledging to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to get pro-gay marriage candidates elected to the state Senate in November's elections...

Churches suffer losses under new FCC rule

Posted on March 17, 2010
Christian Post: "As the Federal Communications Commission seeks out more broadband space, the agency is being asked to consider possibly the largest group that would be affected by the move ? that is, churches. Churches across the country that use wireless devices have already been affected by FCC's 2008 decision to auction off rights to the 700 MHz band...

Episcopalians to consecrate second ?gay? bishop

Posted on March 17, 2010
WORLDmag: "Today the Episcopal Church announced that it will consecrate its second non-celibate gay bishop this May. Mary Glasspool was elected bishop on December 5 but was waiting for a majority of the diocesan bishops and 'standing committees' in the jurisdiction to approve her consecration...

Briton is recognised as world?s first officially ?genderless? person

Posted on March 17, 2010
Telegraph: "Norrie May-Welby, 48, was born a man but had a sex change operation in 1990, at the age of 28. After becoming unhappy as a woman, May-Welby decided to become a 'neuter'. The 48-year-old is now officially recognised as a person of no specific gender...

3rd Circuit: Prosecutor?s offer of leniency to teens for sexting is unconstitutional retaliation

Posted on March 17, 2010
'What's ironic about this case is the district attorney got penalized for being too nice . . '

Argentina reactivates discussion of abortion, same-sex ?marriage?

Posted on March 17, 2010
Urgente24: "Members of the RCU, the Frente para la Victoria, socialism, the Civic Coalition and [center party are pushing] a bill [that will legalize abortion in some cases] in the Republic Argentina. The initiative launched by 33 legislators argued that 'every woman has the right to decide on abortion during the first twelve weeks of [the] gestational process...

Adoption Bill to be Heard in Arizona Senate, Gives Married Couples Priority

Posted on March 17, 2010
My Fox Phoenix: "The Arizona State Senate is set to hear a bill on Wednesday that would give married couples priority when it comes to adoptions . . . " Arizona Marital Preference for Adoption up for vote HB 2148

TN: Sevier mayor, and the people, say prayer

Posted on March 17, 2010
Knoxville News Sentinel: "This storm of prayer had been gathering for weeks, since Americans United for the Separation of Church and State sent a mid-February letter telling Waters to end the decades-long tradition of saying the Our Father before meetings...

Minnesota Rep. Oberstar will back final health care bill

Posted on March 17, 2010
Politico: "Minnesota Rep. James Oberstar, an ardent backer of the House abortion restrictions, will vote for the final package after a further review of the Senate's language, giving top Democrats a critical endorsement as they lean on their rank-and-file to back the Senate bill...

ADF Allied Attorney Success Stories: March 2010

Posted on March 17, 2010
ongratulations to allied attorneys Tim Belz, Sharon Blakeney, Jim Bopp, John Carpay, Steve Fitschen and Pete Lepiscopo, Cathi Herrod, Jerald Jones and Joel Pierce, Jim Kelly, Michael Tierney, and Randy Wenger for their recent successes listed below. Please take time to congratulate them!

C-SPAN launches video library

Posted on March 17, 2010
C-SPAN Video Library: "The Video Library offers 160,000 hours of political events covered by the C?SPAN Networks since 1987. C-SPAN records, indexes, and archives all C-SPAN programming for historical, educational, research, and archival uses by individuals...

Word to Pa.?s highest court: People with disabilities not better off dead

Posted on March 16, 2010
The Alliance Defense Fund and allied attorneys filed a friend-of-the-court brief Monday with Pennsylvania?s highest court on behalf of a mentally disabled patient, arguing that his legal guardians should not be allowed to deny him life-sustaining treatment while he is in a stable and conscious condition.

NH: Senate is moving too fast on gambling bill

Posted on March 16, 2010
Citizen.com: "A bill that would allow the establishment of full-blown casino gambling in New Hampshire may soon pass muster in the state Senate. Thankfully, however, political pundits are doubtful it will get through the House, where such efforts have died before...

Battle Raging in Kenya over Abortion Language in Draft Constitution

Posted on March 16, 2010
LifeSiteNews: "Kenya?s religious leaders are threatening to lobby for a ?no? vote in an upcoming referendum on the country?s constitution if language removing abortion restrictions is not removed from the draft document."

?No News Yet on the Cert Petition in the First Amendment Abortion Clinic Picketing Case?

Posted on March 16, 2010
Eugene Volokh writes at Volokh Conspiracy: "I blogged about the case a few months ago, and signed an amicus brief supporting review ? Colorado v. Hill has created a good deal of uncertainty in lower court decisions, and I think this would be a good opportunity for the Court to clarify matters ...

?CDC Analysis Provides New Look at Disproportionate Impact of HIV and Syphilis Among U.S. Gay and Bisexual Men?

Posted on March 16, 2010
CDC: "The data, presented at CDC's 2010 National STD Prevention Conference, finds that the rate of new HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men (MSM) is more than 44 times that of other men and more than 40 times that of women." CDC Fact Sheet

Ohio: Lake schools to keep ?God? out of mission statement

Posted on March 16, 2010
Akron Beacon Journal: "The Lake Local Board of Education will continue to leave 'belief in God' out of the district's mission statement, much to the disappointment of a group of Lake Township residents who crowded into the board's meeting Monday night ...

Okla. appeals court upholds dismissal of same-sex ?divorce? case

Posted on March 16, 2010
The Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit that sought a ?divorce? between two women who claimed to have obtained a marriage license in Canada

Pa. Senate Judiciary Committee tables marriage amendment

Posted on March 16, 2010
Lebanon Daily News: "The senators didn't utter a word of debate before or after gay-rights proponent Sen. Daylin Leach proposed to table the measure. The vote was 8-6." The Senate Judiciary Committee

City no longer outlawing Bible studies

Posted on March 16, 2010
Christian Web News: "Gilbert, Arizona city officials say they now hope to make changes to the policies that led to a small church being told that they are not allowed to hold Bible studies in a home, according to the Alliance Defense Fund . . . Dale Schowengerdt, who worked with Blomberg on the case, told WND the city also had confirmed it would not enforce the code while it was being changed, a process that could take several weeks...

Christian Group Joins Campaign on Pleading Standard

Posted on March 16, 2010
Blog of the Legal Times: "The conservative Alliance Defense Fund is lining up in opposition to a pair of U.S. Supreme Court decisions that changed the standard for filing most civil lawsuits ? a move that aligns the Christian litigation group with some unlikely allies ...

Israel Passes Civil Union Bill For Those With No Recognized Religion

Posted on March 16, 2010
Religion Clause Blog: "Under Israeli law, marriage is handled by religious authorities of each recognized religious community-- Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Druze. Israel has had no civil marriage, though civil marriages performed in other countries are recognized...

Swiss Muslims want separate cemeteries

Posted on March 16, 2010
World Radio Switzerland: "The president of the Conference of Islamic Organizations of Switzerland says he?s preparing for a legal case involving freedom of religion." Hat tip: Religion Clause Blog

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