Religion & Law

?Court to rule on privacy of texting; Case involves messages sent on a pager owned by an employer

Posted on December 15, 2009
How Appealing carries links to numerous reports on the case. SCOTUS Blog links to more commentaries and reports. Related background materials: Supreme Court may hear appeal on workers? text message privacy

?Completely unreasonable and unconstitutional: University of California law school?s refusal to recognize Christian legal group reaches U.S. Supreme Court?

Posted on December 15, 2009
California Catholic Daily: "'Christian students have the right to gather as Christians for a common purpose and around shared beliefs,' said Alliance Defense Fund senior legal counsel Gregory S. Baylor of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom. 'It?s completely unreasonable -- and unconstitutional -- for a public university to disrupt the purposes of private student groups by forcing them to accept as members and officers those who oppose the very ideas they advocate...

2010: Daunting Challenges Face the Nonprofit World

Posted on December 15, 2009
Chronicle of Philanthropy: "The Chronicle of Philanthropy's annual ranking of the 400 charities that raise the most money found that, by year's end, the nation's top organizations expect a median decline of 9 percent in donations, meaning half will see giving drop even more starkly...

Who do you want teaching your children?

Posted on December 15, 2009
EdNews.org: "Many high school principals cite a critical need for teachers who have the ability to apply real-world experiences to classroom learning, as well as improve student's critical thinking skills, according to a report released Monday by the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning...

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Unenforceable South Carolina Provision Barring Atheists From Office Is Focus of Attention

Posted on December 15, 2009
Religion Clause Blog: "South Carolina's state constitution (Art. VI, Sec. 2) still has in it now clearly unenforceable language providing that any person "who denies the existence of the Supreme Being" is disqualified from holding public office."

California: Judge denies awarding $391,150 to teacher?s defense team

Posted on December 15, 2009
Orange County Register: "A federal judge today denied awarding $391,150 in attorneys' fees and court-related costs to the defense team for high school teacher James Corbett, sued by a student two years ago for his anti-Christian classroom rhetoric."

Winter Display Featuring Einstein, Bill Gates Can Go Up at Ark. Capitol, Federal Judge Rules

Posted on December 15, 2009
Law.com (AP): "A secular display celebrating the winter solstice and "freethinkers" such as Albert Einstein and Bill Gates can be placed at the Arkansas Capitol alongside a traditional Christian nativity scene, a federal judge said Monday. The Arkansas Society of Freethinkers sued last week ...

NBA Commissioner Won?t Rule Out Gambling

Posted on December 15, 2009
Citizen Link: "While most professional sports leagues in the U.S. are opposed to gambling on games to avoid potential ethical problems, National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern told Sports Illustrated on Friday he's open to the idea . ...

Casino-expansion bill clears hurdle in Pa. House

Posted on December 15, 2009
AP: "A proposal to expand casino gambling in Pennsylvania cleared a crucial first hurdle in the state House of Representatives on Monday, despite searing criticism that it is full of favors for casino owners and lawmakers' pet causes."

Nampa Classical Academy, state continue clash over religious text

Posted on December 15, 2009
"What interest could it possibly serve ... to say that you can study, for example, Job in literature class ... only if you read Job from a source that has copied it verbatim, but not from the book of Job if it is still attached to the scriptures?" . ...

?Gay-Marriage Backers Split on 2010 Ballot Effort?

Posted on December 15, 2009
Wall Street Journal: "At the core is a debate over strategy: Is it more effective to mount a relentless offensive at the ballot box? Or is it better to take the time to build a war chest of cash and clout before going back to voters? Recently, gay-rights activists have been knocked back on their heels after Maine voted to outlaw gay marriage last month, and the New York Legislature rejected a bill to legalize gay marriage this month...

The Origins of Darwinian Political Thought

Posted on December 15, 2009
Carson Holloway writes at Public Discourse: "As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin?s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species, it is time to realize that the best way to honor his legacy is to fight its overextension and misapplication into the realm of politics...

Biden ?confident? that Lieberman will vote for final healthcare bill

Posted on December 15, 2009
The Hill: "Biden said that while 'gamesmanship' had taken control of negotiations over a compromise on healthcare in the Senate, Lieberman would ultimately join with Democrats to support the Senate's bill."

D.C. to hold final vote on redefining marriage

Posted on December 15, 2009
"Most members of the 13-member council have said they will support the legislation. The vote is expected about midday. If the bill passes, it will be sent to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D), who is expected to sign it before Christmas."

White House Hanukkah Party Spawns Anger

Posted on December 15, 2009
CBS: "Jews at home and abroad have been slow to warm to Mr. Obama ? a recent poll found nearly 40 percent of Israelis believe he is Muslim ? and it seems the distrust within the community is at least partly driving the anger."

Roe?s Life-or-Health Exception: Self-Defense or Relative-Safety?

Posted on December 15, 2009
Gilles, Stephen G., Roe's Life-or-Health Exception: Self-Defense or Relative-Safety? (December 12, 2009). Notre Dame Law Review, Forthcoming. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1522505 "This Article presents the first in-depth descriptive analysis of Roe v Wade?s holding that, after viability, a state may 'regulate, and even proscribe, abortion except where it is necessary, in appropriate medical judgment, for the preservation of the life or health of the mother...

Alan Sears on Crosstalk: The ACLU vs. America

Posted on December 15, 2009
ADF President and General Counsel Alan Sears appeared on Crosstalk with Vic Eliason to discuss: The ACLU vs. America. The MP3 runs approximately 45 minutes.

Court to Hear Arguments against San Francisco?s Anti-Catholic Resolution

Posted on December 15, 2009
LifeSiteNews: "A panel of eleven judges of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals sitting in San Francisco will hear oral arguments tomorrow, December 16, concerning the constitutionality of the San Francisco Board of Supervisor's resolution attacking the Catholic Church for its teachings against homosexual adoptions...

Admitting Sex is Procreative ? a Surprising Proposal to Curb Nonmarital Births

Posted on December 15, 2009
Helen M. Alvare writes at the Culture of Life Institute "Most of the state and private programs responding to nonmarital births over the last 40 years have poured their energies into ?taking the baby out? of the sexual encounter via birth control. Abstinence programs, which are less common, try to teach young people how to avoid nonmarital sexual involvement...

Homosexual protestors outside St. Louis cathedral claim police harassment

Posted on December 15, 2009
Catholic Culture: "The protestors are angry at Archbishop Robert Carlson for donating $10,000 to prevent the legalization of same-sex marriage in Maine."

Just in Time for Christmas: Community College Squelches Religious Expression; Liberty Legal Institute Sends Demand Letter

Posted on December 15, 2009
PRNEWSWIRE: "Just in time for Christmas, Liberty Legal Institute sent a demand letter today on behalf of Joe Mitchell, a retired Dallas resident and student, to Eastfield College in the Dallas County Community College District revealing their unconstitutional attack on religious expression in the classroom ...

Going to law school? Proceed with caution

Posted on December 14, 2009
Karen Sloan writes at the National Law Journal: "A J.D. used to mean a first-class seat on the gravy train. Now? Not so much. Critics say law schools have a duty to warn."

India?s Parliament Given Proposal To End ?Bigamy Through Conversion To Islam?

Posted on December 14, 2009
Religion Clause Blog: "The report suggests amending the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955 and various other marriage statutes to bar a person who was married as a non-Muslim from marrying again even after converting to Islam, unless the first marriage is dissolved or declared null and void...

Copenhagen Anti-Population Push Coming from UN

Posted on December 14, 2009
LifeSiteNews: "Leading up to this month's conference on "climate change" in Copenhagen, Denmark, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) issued their annual State of World Population 2009 report, in which they called for reducing population in the interest of the environment...

Nev. brothel aims to offer 1st male prostitutes

Posted on December 14, 2009
AP: "The owner of a brothel more than two hours' drive from Las Vegas said she hopes to hire Nevada's first legal male prostitutes within a month, now that state health officials have approved a method to test men for infectious diseases."

Polls: Dems might lose Obama, Biden Senate seats

Posted on December 14, 2009
Washington Times: "President Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. won't be on the midterm ballot next year, but their former Senate seats will be, and both races are now either tossups or leaning Republican in high-visibility contests."

Showdown in Federal Appeals Court this Week Over Atheists? Inauguration Prayer Suit

Posted on December 14, 2009
Pacific Justice Institute: "Oral arguments will be held this Tuesday at the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. in a lawsuit brought by atheists seeking to stop prayers at presidential inaugurations and use of 'So help me God' in the presidential oath...

?New Hampshire to Legalize Adultery? Gay Marriage IS a Slippery Slope!?

Posted on December 14, 2009
PoliticsDaily.com: "Opponents argue, of course, that legalizing gay marriage winds up eroding traditional marriage -- and maybe they're right. News out of the Granite State is that the legislature is now considering a bill to legalize adultery. Yes, it's true...

D.C. Voucher Advocates Vow Renewed Battle Despite Setback

Posted on December 14, 2009
?This program is too important to D.C. families to be suffocated in the stacks of a 1,000+ page omnibus bill.?

The Supreme Court Reviews a Conflict Between Equality and Freedom of Association

Posted on December 14, 2009
Michael C. Dorf writes at Findlaw: "Accordingly, CLS v. Martinez will likely be decided on an all-or-nothing basis. Either the Court will view the Hastings policy as neutral and thus permissible, or it will view it as inherently infringing the right to expressive association, and thus impermissible ...

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