Religion & Law

Recruiting woes elude easy fixes

Posted on January 19, 2010
National Law Journal: ". . . Criticism of the campus-based law firm recruiting model isn't new, but the havoc the floundering economy has wreaked on law firm hiring and the push by law schools to move recruiting into late summer has prompted some law firm recruiters to pronounce the system broken...

Catholic Medical Association: Press release on Coakley hostility to conscience rights

Posted on January 19, 2010
Catholic Medical Association Press Release: "Second, Brehany commented, 'Coakley?s statements reveal a specific hostility to faithful Catholics. While some news stories of the interview have referred to "devout Catholics" in the emergency room, the interviewer actually referenced Catholics who "believe what the Pope teaches...

Circus Trial Begins Over Proposition 8

Posted on January 19, 2010
Karen Lee Torre writes at the Connecticut Law Tribune: "They should have gone further and yanked him off that case. Already, Walker?s impartiality is suspect. Among many now publicly questioning it, Washington Post legal affairs editorialist Eva Rodriquez put it best when she observed that Walker?s pre-trial conduct has already sullied the proceedings...

Amendment bid aims to stop ?gay marriage? in N.H.

Posted on January 19, 2010
"The push for a constitutional amendment to repeal the equal marriage statute that went into effect Jan. 1 will continue before the "House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday . . . "

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?In today?s economics of marriage, it?s a man?s world?

Posted on January 19, 2010
USA Today: "'Marriage is a different deal than it was 40 years ago,' says Pew economist Richard Fry, a co-author of the study. 'Typically, most wives did not work, so for economic well-being, marriage penalized guys with more mouths to feed but no extra income...

Malaysian fails to overturn sodomy ban

Posted on January 19, 2010
Sydney Morning Herald: "A Malaysian man has failed in a bid to overturn a ban on sodomy, after a court ruled that the law criminalising the act was constitutional, his lawyer says . . . The Court of Appeal however rejected the defence arguments and upheld the verdict against Abdul Rahim, a city hall worker who was also sentenced to 22 strokes of the cane...

Commandments reposted on Ky. courthouse walls

Posted on January 19, 2010
Jackson Sun (AP): "The Rev. Chester Shartzer sang God?s praises and talked of restoring his place in American government today as he hoisted a framed copy of the Ten Commandments back onto the wall of a Kentucky courthouse. More than 200 people joined Shartzer and Grayson County officials in returning the commandments to the county courthouse, just days after a federal appeals court allowed the display, saying it wasn?t religiously oriented...

A rebuttal to Theodore Olson

Posted on January 19, 2010
Jeffrey Lord responds to Olson's "Conservative Case for Gay Marriage" in The American Spectator: "The fact that Olson seeks to impose the values of a handful of elite lawyers and judges on the people of California when they have made their views not only plain but constitutionally plain under the law is what concerns...

Chaos at Phoenix strip club ends with man dead

Posted on January 19, 2010
Arizona Republic: "A shooting, an attempted armed robbery and a fire at a Phoenix strip club early Monday morning ended with one man dead. Employees at Lacey's Gentleman's Club told police a 33-year-old man was upset after a dancer, who provided a private dance for him, refused a sexual solicitation...

Phyllis Schlafly: Why Kids Don?t Do Well in School

Posted on January 19, 2010
Phyllis Schlafly writes at Townhall: "In a moment of exasperation, the teacher blurted out this question to the native-born students: 'Why don't you guys study like the kids from Africa?' One of them shot back the answer. The kid replied, 'It's because they have fathers who kick their butts and make them study...

Parents rage at Albany over charter-busting bill

Posted on January 19, 2010
EducationNews.org: "Angry parents yesterday ripped Albany for putting the teachers union before kids, as lawmakers moved to block the expansion of charter schools -- jeopardizing New York state's bid to win $700 million in federal education funds."

Prop. 8 trial looks at personal, social changes

Posted on January 19, 2010
San Francisco Chronicle: "For Bay Area author Helen Zia, it was what she called her 'lesbian trial' . . . Her testimony was protested by Brian Raum, a lawyer for the measure's sponsors, who said one individual's experiences were irrelevant to the legal issues...

Seat of democracy says ?no? to public vote

Posted on January 19, 2010
OneNewsNow: "Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorneys are preparing this week to appeal a Superior Court decision that bars Washington, DC, residents from the right to vote on marriage . . . 'The DC charter, which outside the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the District of Columbia, provides the people the right of initiative, the right to initiate legislation, and the right to say [they] want to vote on the issue of marriage,' Tracey explains...

Test your knowledge of Roe v. Wade

Posted on January 19, 2010
CitizenLink: "Focus on the Family is re-launching the Roe IQ Test. The quiz checks Americans' knowledge of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion on demand . . . 'The current debate over the expansion of federal funding for abortion in the proposed health care reform legislation is just another manifestation of this debate,' [Steven Aden] said...

Ohio high schoolers fight back against bullying by Freedom from Religion Foundation

Posted on January 19, 2010
FoxNews8 (includes video): "So important is faith to the community that a strategic planning committee mapping out the values of the school district added: "We value: Responsibility, honesty, respect, integrity, commitment, belief in God and religious freedom" to the statement...

Online threats pose risk to Rifqa

Posted on January 19, 2010
Religion Clause Blog: "A bestselling author and critic of Islam is very concerned about reports that a high-profile Christian convert from Islam has been receiving death threats from Muslims."

India?s Supreme Court Refuses To Order Constitution Amended To Clarify Status of Sikhs

Posted on January 19, 2010
Religion Clause Blog: "India's Supreme Court yesterday dismissed a lawsuit asking it to order the government to amend India's Constitution to eliminate a provision in Explanation II to Article 25 that says the reference in the Constitution to the power to legislate regarding Hindu religious institutions should be construed to also include Sikh, Jain and Buddhist institutions...

Letters: ACLU bullies Christians

Posted on January 19, 2010
Letter to the Editor of the Argus Leader: "In a nutshell, the ACLU is against anything representing the Christian faith, and its ultimate goal is to remove any acknowledgement of God whatsoever. It more aptly should be called the Anti-Christian Litigation Union...

A Large Cast Shares Spotlight at Proposition 8 Trial

Posted on January 19, 2010
Dan Levin has this report at Law.com (The Recorder) discussing the roles of various attorneys in the Proposition 8 trial.

3rd Circuit Panel Mulls if Teen ?Sexting? Is Child Pornography

Posted on January 19, 2010
" . . . all three judges seemed skeptical of the prosecutor's claim that child pornography laws are violated when a teen transmits a nude image of herself."

Indiana Senate Judiciary to consider marriage amendment tomorrow

Posted on January 19, 2010
"On Wednesday morning the Indiana Senate Judiciary Committee will consider a marriage protection amendment . . . "

Catholic Medical Association: Coakley denies freedom of conscience, right to life

Posted on January 19, 2010
Catholic Online: "'In the course of the interview, Martha Coakley demonstrated hostility to conscience rights in general, and to the beliefs of faithful Catholics in particular,' stated John F. Brehany, Ph.D., S.T.L., executive director of the CMA."

Prop 8 trial, Day 5 summary: prof says children don?t need mom, dad

Posted on January 19, 2010
Baptist Press: "Each day during the trial Baptist Press will post a blog entry from someone in the courtroom. Following is commentary on day five of the trial from Jordan Lorence, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, which is helping defend Prop 8: 'The testimony Friday demonstrated why this case should not be in federal court and should rather be left to debate in the public square...

ADF update on Prop 8 trial: Behind the scenes

Posted on January 19, 2010
ADF Senior Counsel Jordan Lorence writing at The Christian Post: ?There is no hearing today in the Perry case because the federal court is closed for the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday. This break in the action gives us an opportunity to describe what life is like behind the scenes at the California marriage amendment trial...

Savvy marketing surrounds Prop. 8 trial

Posted on January 19, 2010
Variety: "'This is a trial. This is not a campaign,' Andrew Pugno, representing Protectmarriage.com, griped at a press conference . . . The visuals aren't there, but by week's end, it became apparent that the case would be digested in 140 character bites, as Walker has allowed Twitter in the courtroom...

Brown (52%) wins U.S. Senate Seat over Coakley (47%)

Posted on January 19, 2010
"Republican Scott Brown pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Massachusetts political history tonight, defeating Democrat Martha Coakley to become the state's next United States senator and potentially derailing President Obama's hopes for a health care overhaul...

Oakland: Should a 96-Year-Old Proposition 8 Supporter Lose a Public Post?

Posted on January 19, 2010
"His support for Proposition 8 sparked protests from supporters of same-sex marriage . . . "

Same-sex ?marriage? case, Day 6: Civil unions

Posted on January 19, 2010
The Bay Area, New York Times: "Brian Raum, the senior lawyer for the Alliance Defense Fund, handled the cross-examination for the defense. His questions explored whether it is possible to be against same-sex marriage and not be motivated by prejudice...

Judge Walker?s wild witchhunt?Part 2

Posted on January 19, 2010
Ed Whelan: "In other words, rather than decide whether the traditional definition of marriage necessarily reflects an irrational animus against homosexuals, Walker is purporting to conduct a factual determination of the subjective intentions of the more than seven million California voters who supported Proposition 8 ...

UK: BA worker appeals over cross ruling

Posted on January 19, 2010
UKPA: "Devout Christian Nadia Eweida has launched an appeal against a ruling which cleared British Airways of discriminating against her by asking her to stop wearing a cross visibly at work. Miss Eweida, 58, from Twickenham, south-west London, wants three judges to overturn a 2008 decision by the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) that she was not a victim of indirect religion or belief discrimination...

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