Religion & Law

The new abortion divide

Posted on December 23, 2009
Newsweek: "When the Stupak amendment passed, there was common outrage among pro-choice organizations and their counterparts in Congress. But this time, it's different: while leaders of pro-choice groups call the Nelson language 'outrageous' and 'absurd,' a number of their strongest supporters in Congress are taking a nuanced stance: we don't love it, we don't even like it, but if this is what it takes to move forward with health-care reform, we will live with it...

Lawsuit settled over religious discrimination at Mesaba Airlines

Posted on December 23, 2009
Minnesota Public Radio: "A federal judge has approved a settlement in a discrimination lawsuit involving Mesaba Airlines. U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank ruled Tuesday that $130,000 can be distributed to five people the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said were victims of discrimination...

Rwanda: Lawmakers seek to scrap article on homosexuality

Posted on December 23, 2009
The New Times: "After months of speculation, the Political Affairs Committee in the Lower Chamber of Parliament has requested fellow law makers to consider scrapping the article on homosexuality from the penal code in conformity with the International Charter on Civil rights, The New Times can exclusively reveal...

OH: Liberty Township considers regulations for sexually oriented businesses

Posted on December 23, 2009
Cincinnati Enquirer: "Liberty Township trustees are poised to adopt a resolution that would regulate behavior of employees in sexually oriented businesses ? should any ever locate in the township."

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

Oregon: Cascade Locks bridge nativity scene sparks protest

Posted on December 23, 2009
Hood River News: "A nativity scene set up at the southern end of the Bridge of the Gods has been challenged by the Freedom from Religion Foundation."

?Adult book store? suit against Portland, Randy Leonard moved to federal court

Posted on December 23, 2009
Oregonian: "Owners of Cindy's Bookstore, torn down in 2008 after repeated inspections, originally filed sued last month seeking $1 million from the city, Commissioner Randy Leonard, PGE, the city fire commissioner and others."

Iowa group plans push for marriage amendment

Posted on December 23, 2009
WCFCourier.com: "Traditional marriage advocates who demand a vote to amend Iowa's Constitution plan to leave their calling cards early and often during the 2010 legislative session."

?Uganda government softens proposed anti-gay law?

Posted on December 23, 2009
Reuters: "Ethics and Integrity Minister Nsaba Buturo told Reuters that the revised law would now probably limit the maximum penalty for offenders to life in prison rather than execution."

Judge rejects mandatory condoms on LA porn sets

Posted on December 23, 2009
Associated Press: "Judge David Yaffe on Tuesday rejected a petition from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation that contended county health officials hadn't done enough to prevent sexually transmitted diseases in the porn industry."

Corzine signs executive order to ?help? N.J.?s non-public school children

Posted on December 23, 2009
NJ.com: "Gov. Jon Corzine signed an Executive Order Tuesday establishing a committee that would evaluate the needs of non-public school children and determine how the state can help improve their education. The 23-member 'Non-Public Education Funding Commission' ...

Charlotte to consider domestic partner benefits

Posted on December 23, 2009
Charlotte Observer: "One week after Mecklenburg leaders approved medical and leave benefits for the same sex partners of county employees, city leaders confirmed they will discuss a similar measure as soon as next month. Mayor Anthony Foxx said council will examine the city's non-discrimination policy, which does not currently include sexual orientation...

New Michigan Supreme Court rules may be unconstitutional

Posted on December 23, 2009
Matthew Schneider, visiting professor at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, writing in The Detroit News: "On Nov. 25, the high court, in a 4-3 vote led by the court's liberal wing, changed its rules on when justices should be banned from deciding cases ...

Lithuania revises ?gay promotion? law, rights activists still wary

Posted on December 23, 2009
Agence France-Presse: "The original law, which had been due to come into force in March 2010, barred the 'public dissemination' of information favourable to homosexuality, claiming it could harm the mental health and physical, intellectual and moral development of minors ...

The Middle East?s embattled Christians

Posted on December 23, 2009
Nina Shea writing at National Review Online: "The lengthy exodus of ancient Christian congregations from the greater Middle East?s last redoubts of religious pluralism is accelerating. Terrorism, conflict, and the rise of intolerant Islamism are to blame, Vatican officials explain...

City threatens to fine Milwaukee man with ten commandments sign in front yard

Posted on December 23, 2009
Fox6Now.com (link includes video): "A Milwaukee man is told by the city he has 14 days to remove a sign from his yard, but the man says he's been unfairly targeted. He says it's not the sign itself that's the problem. He says some neighbors just don't like what the sign says and called the city to complain...

Senate bill poised for Christmas Eve passage with 60-39 cloture vote

Posted on December 23, 2009
The Hill: "All that remains is a single vote to pass the measure, which requires only a simple majority and is scheduled for 7 a.m. Thursday."

China automaker to acquire Volvo from Ford+

Posted on December 23, 2009
Breitbart (AP): "The deal comes on the heels of General Motors Co.'s sale of its Hummer SUV division to a Chinese construction machinery maker based in Sichuan Province."

ADF Alliance Alert Publication Schedule

Posted on December 23, 2009
The ADF Alliance Alert Categorical Email Digest will not be delivered on Thursday, December 24th and Friday, December 25th. Some posts may appear on the website during these days. Normal publication will resume on Monday, December 28th. Merry Christmas!

Iraq: Mosul attacks on two Christian churches

Posted on December 23, 2009
Assyrian International News Agency: "Two separate bombs struck this morning in Mosul, the Chaldean church of St. George and Syriac Orthodox Church of St. Thomas. The death toll so far is of three dead - a Chaldean Christian and two Muslims - and several wounded...

France proposes ban on Islamic veils

Posted on December 23, 2009
Deutsche Welle: "France's ruling party, the conservative Union Pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP), says it plans to present a bill to parliament in January, which would ban full Islamic veils in all public places. The bill is to be presented in the first two weeks of next month, just before the conclusions of a French parliamentary inquiry on the burqa and niqab are published...

Victory for freedom of conscience as University of Minnesota backs away from ideological screening for Ed students

Posted on December 23, 2009
FIRE Press Release: "In response to sustained pressure from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), the University of Minnesota?Twin Cities has backed away from its plans to enforce a political litmus test for future teachers."

Illinois: Athiest display at state capitol causes furor

Posted on December 23, 2009
WBBM780.com: "Republican State Comptroller candidate William J. Kelly says he will remove the atheist display that has been erected in the Capitol rotunda next to the Christian Nativity Scene and Christmas tree."

Final Senate healthcare vote bumped up to 7 a.m. on Thursday to ease travel

Posted on December 23, 2009
The Hill: "The final vote on the Senate's healthcare bill will now take place at 7 a.m. on Christmas Eve -- an hour earlier than lawmakers originally scheduled."

Pelosi, Reid to decide health care reconciliation behind closed doors?

Posted on December 23, 2009
"Look for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to try to circumvent the traditional conference committee process by which the different versions of health care reform passed . . . "

Can Unwed Fathers Block Adoptions? Navigating a Tricky Legal Terrain

Posted on December 23, 2009
Joanna L. Grossman writes at Findlaw: "Unwed fathers in most states do not have the same rights as unwed mothers vis-à-vis their children. Their parental rights turn not just on biology, but also on whether they have carried out the obligations of fatherhood and, in some situations, whether they have complied with technical legal requirements necessary to establish their status...

Ireland must not copy Britain?s anti-life teenage sex crisis

Posted on December 23, 2009
Pat Buckley: "The Irish Law Reform Commission is proposing that Ireland should copy Britain and allow teenagers, including those under the age of consent, legally to receive contraception. The commission's consultation report on the matter proposes the legal situation in Britain as a model for Ireland...

Christmas becomes a battleground in some US towns

Posted on December 23, 2009
AFP: "In a town in Virginia where a key Civil War battle was fought in 1861, the battleground this year has moved to the courthouse and the prize being fought over is Christmas . . . In Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, a manger scene and menorah were removed from the grounds of the Luzerne County courthouse last week after civil liberties groups threatened to sue over what they saw as government endorsement of religion...

Dayton resident intervenes against ACLU in Cheatham County

Posted on December 23, 2009
Ashland City Times: "June Griffin, a private citizen from Rhea County in East Tennessee, says she has filed an intervention against the ACLU in its recent lawsuit against the Cheatham County School Board over religious activities. In a news release, the Dayton resident said she is asking that the ACLU pay its own legal bills in the lawsuit, which was filed in November...

2nd Irish bishop resigns in sex-abuse scandal

Posted on December 23, 2009
Catholic Culture: "Bishop James Moriarty of Kildare and Leighlin offered his resignation to Pope Benedict XVI on December 23?less than a week after Bishop Donal Murray of Limerick had stepped down."

Atlanta J. Constitution: ?Anti-gay preaching goes too far?

Posted on December 23, 2009
Mary Sanchez writes at the Atlanta Journal Constitution: "Is it fair to blame Warren for what fanatics do to homosexuals in Uganda, legally or otherwise, simply because he promotes the same Scripture-based view of homosexuality as evil? No, but it?s worth asking whether there isn?t something in that view that leads to treating gays and lesbians as somewhat lesser beings than heterosexuals ...

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