Religion & Law

Texas: Board decides to keep Christmas in textbooks

Posted on September 18, 2009
Houston Chronicle: "Christmas will stay in Texas textbooks, State Board of Education members said Thursday while reviewing early recommendations for new social studies standards."

ABC Inside Investigation: Tracking suspected American pedophiles in Camobodia

Posted on September 18, 2009
ABC investigators Dan Harris, Almin Karamhmedovic, and Aude Soichet: "Cambodia has long been a top destination for pedophiles from the United States and all over the world, according to law enforcement officials and humanitarian groups . . . We were some of the first journalists the Cambodian government had ever allowed inside Preysar prison -- the largest in Cambodia...

Judge rules Kan. city violated free speech rights

Posted on September 18, 2009
Values Voter News: "A federal judge says the city of Mulvane violated a woman's free speech rights when police led her from a public forum on a casino project in the southern Kansas city . . . Farnsworth is being represented by the Alliance Defense Fund, a religious advocacy group based in Scottsdale, Ariz...

DOJ brief filed in another Mass. case challenging DOMA

Posted on September 18, 2009
Dale Carpenter writing at The Volokh Conspiracy: "Today the DOJ filed its motion to dismiss in another case challenging the Defense of Marriage Act, Gill v. OPM, pending in a Massachusetts district court. It argues that DOMA is constitutional because (1) there is no basis for applying heightened scrutiny to the denial of federal benefits to same-sex couples married in Massachusetts, and (2) DOMA is rationally related to the federal interest in preserving the status quo and in following longstanding practices while letting states experiment with same-sex marriage...

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Report: Sharp Rise in Religious Liberty Violations in Cuba

Posted on September 18, 2009
Christian Post: "Comprehensive evidence within the document details a sharp rise in religious liberty violations in the country, especially against the independent churches, noted the human rights watchdog."

Conservative Christians assail Obama agenda

Posted on September 18, 2009
Reuters: "'The idea that the healthcare plan takes away choice and freedom, people see their liberties at risk,' said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council (FRC), the conservative Christian lobby group organizing the summit of self-styled 'values voters...

Paterson Endorses Thompson, Planned Parenthood Endorses Bloomberg

Posted on September 18, 2009
WNYC.org: "Bloomberg picked up endorsements today from the advocacy group Planned Parenthood and Congresswoman Nita Lowey who praised the mayor's track record on women's issues."

South Africa: Calls to prayer anger residents

Posted on September 18, 2009
IOL.co.za: "Oudtshoorn residents have vented their frustrations online about the Muslim call to prayer being recited over a loudspeaker from the local mosque, and have called on the Christian community to intervene."

Federal court: Arguments of L.A. Community College District ?scattershot and disjointed?

Posted on September 18, 2009
"A federal court ruled Wednesday that an injunction prohibiting enforcement of a Los Angeles Community College District policy that violates student free speech rights will stand."

Wisconsin: Rep. Ziegelbauer loses committee post over abortion amendment vote

Posted on September 18, 2009
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Rep. Bob Ziegelbauer (D-Manitowoc) was replaced as chairman of the Assembly?s Committee on Ways and Means . . . He said Sheridan told him the decision was made because of his vote on an amendment offered by abortion opponents during the budget debate...

Mass. Gov says Obama discussed Kennedy replacement

Posted on September 18, 2009
Associated Press: "Gov. Deval Patrick said Friday that President Barack Obama had personally talked to him about changing the Senate succession law in Massachusetts, and White House aides were pushing for him to gain the power to temporarily replace the late Sen...

Teacher Awarded Qualified Immunity In Suit For Remark Against Creationism

Posted on September 17, 2009
Religion Clause Blog: "Now, in C.F. v. Capistrano Unified School District, (CD CA, Sept. 15, 2009), a federal district court dismissed the remaining claim for nominal damages after finding that the teacher was entitled to qualified immunity."

Do Government Economic Incentives Trigger Church-State Limits For Grocery? St. Louis debates crucifix

Posted on September 17, 2009
Religion Clause Blog: "In St. Louis (MO), some are arguing that a new downtown grocery store, Culinaria (owned by the Schunck's grocery chain), should be subject to church-state separation requirements because more than half of its funding came from government sources...

More child porn found in Wash. sex offender center

Posted on September 17, 2009
AP: "Seven residents of a heavily secured center for sex predators have been indicted on federal child porn charges."

Cal. Court Says Congregation Cannot Disaffiliate From National Church Body

Posted on September 17, 2009
Religion Clause Blog: 'In Classis of Central California v. Miraloma Community Church, (CA Ct. App., Sept. 15, 2009), a California Court of Appeals held that a local congregation of the Reformed Church in America lacked authority to amend its governing documents to disaffiliate from the national church in order to avoid a takeover by its hierarchical governing body, the classis ...

Gary McCaleb on the Jody Hice Show: Harrassment of marriage defenders in Washington

Posted on September 17, 2009
ADF attorney Gary McCaleb appeared on the Jody Hice Show to discuss the harrassment of marriage defenders in Washington state and ADF efforts to stop that. The MP3 runs just under 18 minutes. ADF Media information: New hotline for Wash. Referendum 71 supporters who encounter retaliation ProtectMarriageWA...

RNC Chairman says pro-abortion candidates are OK

Posted on September 17, 2009
Daily Briefing, The Columbus Dispatch: "Despite the strong anti-abortion position in the Republican National Committee's platform, Chairman Michael Steele said last week that the party must be open to candidates who favor abortion rights."

3rd Circuit Extends Civil Rights Protection to Independent Contractors

Posted on September 17, 2009
Law.com: "The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in a case of first impression that the protection of Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act extends beyond employees to independent contractors . . . Brown v. J. Kaz Inc. d/b/a Craftmatic of Pittsburgh ...

Judge rules Mulvane violated free-speech rights

Posted on September 17, 2009
Forbes (AP): "The city of Mulvane violated the First Amendment right to free speech of a woman who was escorted out of a council meeting by police after she tried to talk during a public forum over a proposed casino . . . 'We are very pleased with the court's decision that vindicated her rights,' said Joel Oster, an Alliance Defense Fund attorney in Leawood, Kan...

Judge rules Mulvane violated free-speech rights

Posted on September 17, 2009
Hays Daily News (AP): "The city of Mulvane violated the First Amendment right to free speech of a woman who was escorted out of a council meeting by police after she tried to talk during a public forum over a proposed casino . . . The Alliance Defense Fund ...

?Gay GOPer has star role in same-sex marriage fight?

Posted on September 17, 2009
Bay Area Reporter: "A sought after Republican campaign adviser for three decades beginning in the 1970s, Fred Karger called it quits and retired nearly five and half years ago . . . In the process Karger has morphed into the main nemesis of the Alliance Defense Fund, an anti-gay group that has provided legal counsel to campaigns in numerous states against LGBT rights, and the National Organization for Marriage, a group helping to finance anti-gay ballot fights across the country ...

John Anthony Simmons on WBFI radio with Ron Miller: NH homeschool case

Posted on September 17, 2009
ADF allied John Anthony Simmons appeared on WBFI radio with Ron Miller to discuss this: NH court orders home-schooled child into government-run school. The MP3 runs just over 27 minutes. More information: www.ClearVictory.org ADF National Litigation Academy Home School Legal Defense Association

Is it now controversial for a prof at a Catholic law school to defend marriage?

Posted on September 17, 2009
Prof. Fitzgibbon's involvement prompted Dean John Garvey of Boston College Law School to issue a memorandum yesterday.

Boy in a Bikini, Other Gay Films Get Wide Audience in California Schools

Posted on September 17, 2009
Christian Newswire (Pacific Justice Institute): "A San Francisco group billing itself as 'the best in LGBT media' is claiming hundreds of public schools in California have signed up to show its films and use accompanying discussion materials. One film features a boy 'coming out' by wearing his mother's bikini ...

Court: City council violated rights of Kansas woman muzzled at public hearing

Posted on September 17, 2009
A federal court ruled Wednesday that the Mulvane City Council violated the First Amendment rights of a citizen thrown out of a public hearing when she attempted to respectfully express her moral concerns about a proposed gambling casino.

Some 750,000 pedophiles prowling Internet: UN

Posted on September 17, 2009
Breitbart (AFP): "'The number of sites devoted to child pornography worldwide is growing. The number of predators connected to the Internet at any one time is estimated to be 750,000,' said Najat Maala, Special Rapporteur on the child prostitution and child pornography issue...

Judge dismisses school dress code lawsuit in SD

Posted on September 17, 2009
AP: "A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to prevent a South Dakota school district from imposing a dress code."

Washington Teachers Leave National Education Association

Posted on September 17, 2009
Citizen Link: "Some teachers in the St. John School District have disaffiliated with the Washington Education Association (WEA) and the National Education Association (NEA) because they no longer wanted to give money to causes they didn't believe in."

Steven Aden on the Jody Hice Show: Personhood Amendments

Posted on September 17, 2009
ADF attorney Steven Aden appeared on the Jody Hice Show to discuss "Personhood" Amendments. The MP3 runs just over 17 minutes. Related ADF Alliance Alert posts MSNBC (AP): ?[Personhood] Amendment language has been cleared, with petition drives under way, in Colorado, Mississippi, Montana and Nevada...

Doug Napier on the Michael Medved Show: Religious freedom means government can?t dictate levels of religiosity

Posted on September 17, 2009
ADF attorney Doug Napier appeared on the Michael Medved Show to discuss this: NH court orders home-schooled child into government-run school. The MP3 runs just over 33 minutes.

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