Religion & Law

Cal Thomas: The angry voices of the ordinary

Posted on September 10, 2009
Cal Thomas writing in the Gwinnett Daily Post: "The latest of many examples of government arrogance has come in New Hampshire, of all places, where the state motto is 'Live Free or Die.' A state judge has ordered a girl who was being educated at home by her mother to begin attending a public school because of the 'rigidity' of her mother's religious views ...

Grant will help fight for religious freedom on campus

Posted on September 10, 2009
CitizenLink: "The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) has received a $9.2 million grant to help fund the fight for religious freedom at public universities and colleges . . . 'Many colleges and universities across the nation have enacted unconstitutional policies and practices,' [David French] said, 'censoring Christian speech, banning Christian groups from campus and punishing professors and students...

Finland Convicts City Council Member for Anti-Islam Blog Posting

Posted on September 10, 2009
Religion Clause Blog: "A trial court in Helsinki, Finland has convicted Jussi Halla-aho, a member of Helsinki's City Council, of violating the sanctity of religion through an anti-Islamic posting on his blog last June. Today's Helsingin Sanomat reports that the court fined Halla-aho 330 Euros...

?Sentences for Possession of Child Porn May Be Too High, Judges Say?

Posted on September 10, 2009
"Judges testifying before the U.S. Sentencing Commission in Chicago told the panel that sentences for people convicted of possessing child pornography have become too severe. The commission suggested it will review the relevant guidelines."

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Florida: Santa Rosa ACLU Defense Fund Grows

Posted on September 10, 2009
Pensacola News Journal: "Some 400 tickets already have been sold for a fundraiser tonight at the Farmer's Opry in Chumuckla for the legal defense fund of Pace High School Principal Frank Lay and his athletic director, Robert Freeman." Criminal contempt charges were instigated by the ACLU after these gentlemen led a lunch prayer...

President Obama ?Lies? on Abortion Funding During Health Care Reform Speech

Posted on September 10, 2009
LifeNews: "During his health care reform speech last night, President Barack Obama faced one member of Congress who said he told a 'lie' about one section of the government-run health care plan. Now, pro-life advocates are calling Obama on the carpet for misrepresenting the abortion funding in the current bills...

Former Pa. judges indicted in kids-for-cash scheme

Posted on September 10, 2009
AP: "An indictment accuses two former Pennsylvania judges of racketeering, bribery and extortion in connection with a $2.8 million scheme to funnel youth offenders to private detention centers."

FDA Panel OKs HPV Vaccine Gardasil for Boys

Posted on September 10, 2009
WebMD: "An FDA advisory committee voted to recommend approval of the vaccine Gardasil for males ages 9 to 26 to prevent genital warts."

Miami Beach again bars alcohol at strip club

Posted on September 10, 2009
Miami Herald: "A measure that would have allowed the Washington Avenue strip club to sell alcohol was unanimously shot down by the Miami Beach City Commission on Wednesday. But club owner Leroy Griffith, who during the meeting accused the city of extortion, didn't rule out another attempt in what has been a rocky, years-long battle to overturn the city's laws banning alcohol sales in 'gentlemen's clubs...

Cass Sunstein Supports an Internet ?Fairness? Doctrine

Posted on September 10, 2009
Dakota Voice: "You may have already been aware that Cass Sunstein, President Obama?s nominee to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), is an animal rights extremist who even opposes hunting and thinks animals should be able to file lawsuits...

Without GOP Support, Leahy Pushes for More Judges

Posted on September 10, 2009
Blog of the Legal Times: "Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) introduced legislation Tuesday that would add nine permanent seats to the circuit courts and 38 to the district courts. It would also add some temporary judgeships on both levels, make five temporary judgeships permanent, and extend a temporary judgeship in the Northern District of Ohio...

EU Court strikes blow to gambling industry

Posted on September 10, 2009
EurActiv: "European Union law may allow countries to ban foreign gambling websites if the intention is to prevent criminal offences, the European Court of Justice said yesterday (8 September) in a judgement that goes against previous rulings by the Court and is sure to reverberate through the betting industry...

Sweden: Police ?nab? 7-year-old homeschooler

Posted on September 10, 2009
WorldNetDaily: "A mother and father are going public with details about how Swedish social-services officials had police halt a plane en route to takeoff in order to take custody of their 7-year-old son after they had argued with local school officials about his homeschooling...

?ACLU Asks Health Cabinet to Restore Reproductive Health Care in Northern Kentucky?

Posted on September 10, 2009
ACLU: "The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Kentucky today asked the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services to conduct a hearing into the reduction of reproductive health services at St. Luke Hospitals and to restore access to reproductive health care in northern Kentucky...

David French on the Michael Medved Show: Ramping up the fight for Academic Freedom on campus

Posted on September 10, 2009
David French, Director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, appeared on the Michael Medved Show to discuss the $9.2 million grant that enables ADF to ramp up defense of free speech at universities. The MP3 runs just under 15 minutes.

WA Supreme Court agrees to hear Internet gambling case

Posted on September 10, 2009
WA Supreme Court blog: "The Washington Supreme Court has agreed to review a Court of Appeals ruling in a case that tests whether the Washington State Gambling Act (chapter 9.46 RCW) applies to an Internet gambling site."

ADF attorneys submit motion to defend Calif. marriage amendment from new attack

Posted on September 10, 2009
ADF attorneys and ADF-allied attorney Andrew Pugno submitted a motion to intervene . . . asking the court to allow it to become a defendant in the lawsuit.

Today: Tacoma judge may rule on release of identity of R-71 signers

Posted on September 10, 2009
Seattle Times (AP): "A federal judge in Tacoma may decide Thursday whether the public can see the names of people who signed Referendum 71."

?Calling HSLDA? We?ll Call the Police.?

Posted on September 10, 2009
HSLDA: "Woodruff asked the social worker what the allegations were. Bonnie was accused of making her 3-year-old eat brussels sprouts, and when he threw them up, of making him eat the vomit."

The Social, Economic, and Logical Sense Traditional Marriage Makes

Posted on September 09, 2009
The Engage Family Minute Blog of the Family Policy Council of West Virginia: "But don?t miss a very telling statement in the above quote; 'Same-sex marriage ? a construct that depends on the state for its very existence?' Perhaps the reason so many liberals are jumping on the same-sex bandwagon is that it furthers their personal agenda of a government that has its hands in every aspect of life, both public and private...

Australia explores allowing female soldiers in front-line combat

Posted on September 09, 2009
AP: "Australia may allow female soldiers to serve in front-line combat roles under proposed equal-opportunity guidelines that stoked debate Wednesday on whether women can meet the physical demands . . . "

A Move to Register Sex Offenders Globally

Posted on September 09, 2009
TIME: ". . . the stories of an estimated 1.8 million other children worldwide who are forced into the multibillion-dollar commercial sex trade every year remain largely unheard."

Breakaway Episcopalians look to US high court

Posted on September 09, 2009
AP: "St. James Anglican, in the Diocese of Los Angeles, is one of several dozen individual parishes and four dioceses nationwide that voted to split from the national church after the 2003 consecration of the first openly gay Episcopal bishop in New Hampshire ...

California Family Council: Statement Regarding Legislature?s Passage of ?Harvey Milk Day? Bill

Posted on September 09, 2009
California Family Council: "Today the California State Legislature sent Senate Bill 572, authored by Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for his signature. SB 572 would require the governor of California to annually proclaim May 22asHarvey Milk Day to honor the first openly homosexual politician...

?Life? Star Fired for Religious Beliefs?

Posted on September 09, 2009
Popeater.com: "'One Life to Live' actress Patricia Mauceri . . . claims that she was let go from 'Life' because she objected to a gay storyline that had been written for her character."

Mich. VA hospital provides access for chaplain seeking to pray, read Bible with fellow vets

Posted on September 09, 2009
"After receiving two letters from Alliance Defense Fund attorneys, hospital officials at Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center have agreed to allow the chaplain of two veterans? organizations access to patients."

Magistrate Says Remove ?Five Percenters? From Prison ?Security Threat Group? List

Posted on September 09, 2009
Religion Clause Blog: "The Nation of Gods and Earths / Five Percenters (NGE) -- an offshoot group of the Nation of Islam -- is classified by many prison systems as a Security Threat Group (STG). (Background.) Last month in Hardaway v. Haggerty, (ED MI, Aug...

Maryland Town Will Buy Land In Religious Bias Settlement

Posted on September 09, 2009
Religion Clause Blog: "Today's Frederick (MD) News-Post reports that the town of Walkersville, Maryland has agreed in general on a settlement in a lawsuit against it brought by the owners of land that the Ahmadiyya Movement of Islam had hoped to buy to construct a mosque...

Dems press for appointing temp Kennedy replacement

Posted on September 09, 2009
AP: "A contentious proposal to let Gov. Deval Patrick name an interim replacement to the late Sen. Edward Kennedy's vacant Senate seat is drawing hundreds to the Massachusetts Statehouse."

California: Release of 46,000 inmates challenged

Posted on September 09, 2009
SCOTUS Blog: "California officials have asked the Supreme Court to put on hold a federal court?s order that will require the release of some 46,000 inmates from state prisons over two years, to relieve 'unprecedented overcrowding.' In a stay application (09A234) filed Friday, Gov...

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