Religion & Law

Hillary Clinton: ?Rededicating ourselves to the global efforts to improve reproductive health?

Posted on January 11, 2010
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's January 8, 2010 Remarks on the 15th Anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development: "So we are rededicating ourselves to the global efforts to improve reproductive health for women and girls ...

Google denies censoring anti-Islam search suggestions

Posted on January 11, 2010
Telegraph: "Google has denied favouring Islam over other religions in its suggested searches, after allegations that phrases criticising the faith had been censored."

Here comes the super judge ? ?universal jurisdiction? claims

Posted on January 11, 2010
The American Spectator: "Britain is not alone in seeking to prosecute foreigners for actions committed in foreign lands. Canada, France, Germany, and Spain also claim the authority to jail most anyone for acts committed elsewhere. The practice is a dangerous assault both on national sovereignty and, individual justice ...

Ross Douthat: Let?s talk about faith

Posted on January 11, 2010
Ross Douthat writing in the New York Times: "Liberal democracy offers religious believers a bargain. Accept, as a price of citizenship, that you may never impose your convictions on your neighbor, or use state power to compel belief. In return, you will be free to practice your own faith as you see fit ? and free, as well, to compete with other believers (and nonbelievers) in the marketplace of ideas...

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

Pope says ?gay marriage? threat to creation

Posted on January 11, 2010
Reuters: "Pope Benedict on Tuesday linked the Church's opposition to gay marriage to concern about the environment, suggesting that laws undermining 'the differences between the sexes' were threats to creation."

German court proceedings in English?

Posted on January 11, 2010
The Volokh Conspiracy links to this report in the Local.

Catholic Bishops Activate 19,000 Churches to Stop Abortion in Health Care

Posted on January 11, 2010
LifeNews: "Now, in a nationwide call to Catholics to prevent health care reform from being derailed by the abortion lobby, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has sent bulletin inserts and pulpit announcements to almost 19,000 parishes across the country...

?Advocates push to protect gay workers? rights?

Posted on January 11, 2010
Arizona Republic: "Gay-rights groups believe 2010 will be the year they finally persuade Congress to pass a landmark law protecting workers from being fired or denied jobs or promotions because of their sexual orientation. With Democrats in the majority in the House and Senate and President Barack Obama promising to sign the bill, this is the best chance for victory that supporters of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act have ever had, said Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force ...

Utah County Will Balance Budget By Police Fee, Including On Churches

Posted on January 11, 2010
Religion Clause Blog: "Under the plan, which the County Council will vote on today, churches would pay $1,008 per year, while smaller non-profits would be assessed $180."

Marriage, Democracy, and WV by the Numbers

Posted on January 08, 2010
Engage Family Blog: "WV is among just 6 states whose leadership is reluctant to allow their citizenry to vote on the definition of marriage."

?Mexico archdiocese: Pro-gay marriage political party hates Church, wars on society?

Posted on January 08, 2010
Catholic Culture: "A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Mexico City has accused the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution-- one of the nation?s three largest political parties-- of displaying 'its true face ... intolerance and hatred toward the Catholic Church' and waging war against Mexican society by supporting same-sex marriage and the adoption of children by homosexuals...

Supreme Court Urged to Take MA Case & Protect Pro-Life Speech

Posted on January 08, 2010
ACLJ: We've filed an important amicus brief asking the Supreme Court of the United States to hear the case of McCullen v. Coakley, a First Amendment challenge to the Massachusetts anti-speech buffer zone statute that hamstrings pro-life sidewalk counselors outside abortion businesses.

France imposes £700 fine for wearing burkhas in the street

Posted on January 08, 2010
Metro UK: "The penalty will be doubled for men who force wives or other female relatives to dress in the Islamic veils. The proposal aims to protect the 'dignity' and 'security' of women, said Jean-Francois Cope, president of the ruling Union for Popular Movement party...

Obama Renominates Anti-Catholic Lawyer

Posted on January 08, 2010
Catholic League: "Dawn Johnsen is not someone who simply takes issue with the Catholic Church?s pro-life position: she wants to punish the Church. In the late 1980s, she joined a cadre of anti-Catholics to strip the Catholic Church of its tax exempt status...

Children best served by mom?s lesbian relationship?

Posted on January 08, 2010
One News Now: "'[Judge John R. Kennedy] went where our legislature expressly declined to go,' writes Craddock. 'The Illinois House voted down a civil unions bill last year....Yet Judge Kennedy took it upon himself to legally treat a lesbian couple...the same way the Illinois courts have treated hetero married couples...

Sponsor of NJ same-sex ?marriage? bill: ?We established a basis to file a lawsuit?

Posted on January 08, 2010
"We established a basis to file a lawsuit to ask the Supreme Court to recognize gay marriage in the state of New Jersey,' said Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D., Union), a sponsor of the same-sex marriage bill."

Jewish leaders condemn harassment of Christians in Jerusalem

Posted on January 08, 2010
Christian Today: "Ultra orthodox Jewish leaders in Jerusalem have denounced the harassment of Christian clergy. Representatives of the Beth Din Tzedek, the tribunal of the Orthodox Jewish Community, acknowledged in a letter to the Holy See this week that 'irresponsible' youths within its fold were harassing and insulting Christian clergy in the city...

Pennsylvania teachers union lays out plan ?to improve education?

Posted on January 08, 2010
Education News: "The report, released yesterday, is titled 'The Power of a Great Education: PSEA's 20/20 Vision for the Future -- Strong Schools, Successful Children, Vibrant Communities.' It can be found at www.psea.org/vision."

Divorce Without Vows

Posted on January 08, 2010
Jennifer Graham writes at the Wall Street Journal: "A marriage certificate doesn't guarantee a happy union. But as Susan Sarandon has learned, neither does its absence."

Washington Stimulus Exacerbates Fiscal Crisis of the States

Posted on January 08, 2010
Richard Ravitch writes at the Wall Street Journal: "The strings on federal stimulus money are making it harder for states to cut spending and balance their budgets."

Attorneys defending Calif. marriage amendment available to media during trial

Posted on January 08, 2010
Daily beginning Monday, Jan. 11, before and after trial hearings, which begin at 8:30 a.m. PST

Cardinal Archbishop of Lisbon Accused of ?Pact of Silence? with Portuguese Government as Country Lurches Towards ?Gay Marriage?

Posted on January 08, 2010
LifeSiteNews: "Although Policarpo made clear in October his opposition to the creation of same-sex 'marriage,' he also made it clear that he favors legal rights for homosexual couples, an idea denounced by the pope, who has said that Catholics have a 'duty' to oppose such 'gravely unjust' rights...

Phoenix Church Must Stop Homeless Program

Posted on January 08, 2010
KPHO.com: "Neighbors in the community took the matter to the city of Phoenix where ultimately the church was cited for violating zoning laws because the church was acting as a charity dining hall in a residential zone."

President Barack Obama Will Renominate Two Abortion Advocates for Judgeships

Posted on January 08, 2010
LifeNews: "With another session of Congress starting shortly, President Barack Obama will reportedly renominate Louis Butler Jr. and Edward Chen."

Obama will renominate Butler as a federal judge despite rejection by Senate and voters

Posted on January 08, 2010
Wisconsin State Journal: "'Voters across the state decided not to elect him to continue serving on the Supreme Court because they thought he was a radical judge who was legislating from the bench,' Kristin Ruesch, communications director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said...

Republicans see the courts as the last line of defense vs. Democrats? agenda

Posted on January 08, 2010
The Hill: "Republicans and allied groups say they will spend millions to oppose healthcare reform and other Democratic initiatives in the courts, which they see as a last line of defense against President Barack Obama?s agenda."

Swedish Govt slammed for seizing home ed boy

Posted on January 08, 2010
The Christian Institute: "ADF Legal Counsel Roger Kiska said: 'Parents have the right and authority to make decisions regarding their children?s education without Government interference.' He added: 'This is about a socialist Government trying to create a cookie-cutter child in its own image...

Nampa charter school meets most concerns of state panel

Posted on January 08, 2010
Idaho Statesman: "[S]ome information sought by the commission was not provided, the result of differing legal opinions between attorneys for the commission and the school . . . From its founding last year, the classical academy included the Bible, Quran and Book of Mormon among 137 books listed in the school's core reading list...

?Judge OKs YouTube broadcast of key gay marriage case?

Posted on January 08, 2010
Christian Post: "The federal judge who will preside over a highly anticipated gay marriage case in California will allow the trial to be videotaped for later showing on YouTube despite the negative effects that doing so could have on witnesses . . . The legal team on the other side is being led by Charles Cooper, a veteran trial lawyer who worked for the Reagan-era Justice Department...

Erik Stanley: Get government out of our pulpits

Posted on January 08, 2010
ADF Attorney Erik Stanley writing in the Washington Examiner: "Since that day more than half a century ago, pastors have been increasingly censored by the Internal Revenue Service from speaking freely from their pulpits during election seasons. Pastors who firmly believe that their faith has something to say about the candidates running for office must now remain silent, or else risk losing their church's tax-exempt status...

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.