Religion & Law

Minnesota city dumps discriminatory language in access policies

Posted on August 31, 2009
OneNewsNow: "A Minnesota city has had a change of heart over use of city property by religious groups -- and without a lawsuit . . . ADF attorney Daniel Blomberg says his firm contacted city officials in July, sharing with them that the access policies were illegal...

Court orders Christian homeschooler to public school; faith too ?vigorous?

Posted on August 31, 2009
Boise Christian Living Examiner: "A New Hampshire court recently ordered 10-year old homeschooler, Amanda Kurowski, to public school because she defended her Christian faith too vigorously . . . 'It is not the proper role of the court to insist that Amanda be 'exposed to different points of view' if the primary residential parent has determined that it is in Amanda's best interest not to be exposed to secular influences that would undermine Amanda's faith, schooling, social development, etc...

?Early proponents of Personhood Amendment go postal?

Posted on August 31, 2009
Colorado Statesman: "Supporters of a ballot proposal to bring back a slightly altered form of last year?s controversial 'Personhood' Amendment have a more immediate goal: to become the first initiative campaign in Colorado to be run entirely by volunteers ...

Christian groups found to lack standing to challenge Plan B decision

Posted on August 31, 2009
Law.com (New York Law Journal): "Five months after ordering the Food and Drug Administration to allow the marketing of the emergency contraceptive Plan B to 17-year-olds without a prescription, a Brooklyn federal judge has refused to allow three Christian lobbying groups who oppose abortion to challenge the ruling ...

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ADF attorney available to media after testimony over proposed ?gender identity? ordinance

Posted on August 31, 2009
Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel Glen Lavy will be available for media interviews Tuesday after his testimony before the Goshen City Council on a proposed ?gender identity? and ?sexual orientation? ordinance.

Federal suit challenges stem cell funding guidelines

Posted on August 31, 2009
Baptist Press: "The Obama administration's guidelines for federal funding of stem cell research that results in the destruction of human embryos have been challenged in court, and a lawyer behind the suit says he thinks its 'chances are very good.'"

Alaska: Parental Consent Initiative campaign launches

Posted on August 31, 2009
KTUU (AP): "Anti-abortion advocates kicked off their campaign in Anchorage for an initiative that would require parental consent for minors to have an abortion."

Vermont Prepares for ?Gay Marriage?

Posted on August 31, 2009
WCAX.com: "Vermont's gay marriage law is set to go into effect on Tuesday, September 1st. Supporters of same-sex marriage already are gearing up for what promises to be an emotional week."

Homeschooled girl ordered to attend public school over ?rigid? faith

Posted on August 31, 2009
Christian Post: "[Amanda Kurowski's] strong Christian beliefs were reason enough for a New Hampshire court to order her out of homeschooling and into a public school . . . Although there is no dispute that Amanda is excelling academically and is generally interactive with her peers, her religious beliefs were seen as being held a bit too sincerely, Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney John Anthony Simmons explained ...

Is ?diversity? threatening Christianity?

Posted on August 31, 2009
WorldNetDaily: "A Christian homeschooled girl was ordered by a New Hampshire court this week to attend a public school because her faith is a 'bit too sincerely held and must be sifted, tested by, and mixed among other worldviews' . . . Thankfully, attorneys working with the Alliance Defense Fund have filed motions with the court, asking it to reconsider the order ...

3rd Circuit Revives ?Gay? Man?s Title VII Suit

Posted on August 31, 2009
". . . federal appeals court has ruled that an effeminate gay man must be allowed to pursue a Title VII claim alleging that he was targeted for harassment because he failed to conform to 'gender stereotypes.'"

Marriage: What Matters ? Too many Republicans are blind to what is at stake in the marriage-law debate.

Posted on August 31, 2009
"Without the social ideal of marriage between husband and wife . . . the prospects for limited government, civil society independent of the state, and a robust, free-market economy go out the window."

?Massachusetts case may be key in gay marriage fight?

Posted on August 31, 2009
The National Law Journal: While the high-profile, Ted Olson- and David Boies-managed legal fight against California's Proposition 8 captures headlines, a carefully planned case quietly underway in Massachusetts federal court could be the gay marriage test with the greatest national impact ...

Fordham Debate: ?Matters of Conscience: When Moral Precepts Collide with Public Policy?

Posted on August 31, 2009
Mirror of Justice points out that Fordham University has posted a transcript of the debate held on April 28 featuring the following individuals . . .

Pastor again seeks D.C. referendum on same-sex ?marriage?

Posted on August 31, 2009
Washington Post: "Bishop Harry Jackson is refusing to relent from his campaign to stop same-sex marriage in the District, despite the drubbing he took before the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics this summer. Jackson sent out a statement Monday stating that he and other opponents of same-sex marriages would file an initiative request with the elections board Tuesday...

Free speech lawsuit goes to trial in Wichita

Posted on August 31, 2009
Hays Daily News: "A Mulvane woman who claims the city violated her free speech rights at a city council forum will get the opportunity to make her case in federal court . . . 'We hope it sets the precedent that town officials must respect all viewpoints when they are giving access to people to a public forum, to the community,' said Joel Oster, an attorney with Alliance Defense Fund in Leawood, Kan...

Organizers expect tens of thousands of Muslims at D.C. prayer event

Posted on August 31, 2009
Star-Ledger: "A mosque in Elizabeth, Dar-ul-Islam, is spearheading a national prayer gathering next month in Washington, D.C., that organizers are billing as the first event of its kind -- organized prayer for tens of thousands of Muslims outside the U...

Aurora, IL: Alternative to Planned Parenthood moves in

Posted on August 31, 2009
The Beacon News: "The Waterleaf Women's Center at 2849 E. New York St. should be open for business within a couple of weeks, although the center was dedicated Sunday afternoon by Catholic clergy and about 75 supporters from the community."

The myth of a moderate Malaysia

Posted on August 31, 2009
Forbes: "In Malaysia, Islam is the state religion. Higher education, the bureaucracy and vast swathes of the economy are operated as a kind of spoils system almost exclusively for Malays, whom the state defines as Muslim. Race and religion determine everything from your odds of getting into medical school to the amount you're expected to put down for an apartment...

?Gay marriage foes push D.C. initiative?

Posted on August 31, 2009
Politico: "A group calling itself the Stand4MarriageDC.com Coalition says it will file tomorrow to put an initiative on same-sex marriage on the ballot in the District in November."

150 Christians of Iraq face deportation in Sweden

Posted on August 31, 2009
Christian Telegraph: "150 Iraqi Christians have sought refuge in the Cathedral of St. Enechubeng to ask the immigration authorities to reconsider the decisions to refuse their asylum applications in Sweden, reports Christians of Iraq."

Washington Secretary of State: R-71 qualifying for November statewide vote

Posted on August 31, 2009
"With the Referendum 71 signature-check now nearly complete, state election officials say they?ve now confirmed that sponsors turned in more than the bare minimum needed for a spot on the November statewide ballot."

Duluth Strip Club Granted Reprieve

Posted on August 31, 2009
Northland News Center: "District Court Judge Eric Hylden granted the Norshor Experience a temporary restraining order against the city of Duluth, allowing the business to continue serving liquor."

Maine: State Forces School to Let Boy Use Girls? Room

Posted on August 31, 2009
Maine Family Policy Council: "How radical is the homosexual rights agenda? The answer will surprise even those who think they know all about the homosexual rights movement. A recent decision by the Maine Human Rights Commission shows that a law passed several years ago is beginning to be felt in ways far beyond what even radical homosexual activists imagined...

ACLU: Lawsuit Challenging Government Funding Of Religious Youth Home To Go Forward

Posted on August 31, 2009
ACLU: "A federal appeals court ruled today that a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State challenging government funding of a religious group youth home in Kentucky can go forward."

Do Obstetricians Have a Duty of Care to the Unborn? Ontario Court to Decide Today

Posted on August 31, 2009
LifeSiteNews: "A London court will hear arguments today about whether an obstetrician has a duty of care to the unborn child, reports the Toronto Star. The issue will be taken up as a preliminary proceeding to a malpractice suit brought by a Rockford family against Guelph General Hospital, where their son was born eight years ago...

Federal Government Will Borrow 40 Percent of the Money It Spends Next Year, Says White House Report

Posted on August 31, 2009
CNSNews: 'According to the Obama administration?s mid-session budget update, the federal government will have to borrow nearly 40 percent of its total expenditures in 2010. The report, ?Mid-Session Review, Budget of the U.S. Government, Fiscal Year 2010 ...

?God? no longer censored in Wilson County Schools

Posted on August 31, 2009
"In March, Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed a federal lawsuit against the district after school officials had censored the word 'God' from student-made posters promoting National Day of Prayer and See You at the Pole events."

Pro-Abortion Kennedy Lauded as ?Champion for Those Who Had None? at Funeral Mass

Posted on August 31, 2009
LifeSiteNews: "Despite the warnings of pro-life Catholic leaders that the public honoring of pro-abortion Sen. Ted Kennedy by the Catholic Church would lead to an enormous scandal, the Boston Archdiocese hosted an elaborate televised funeral Mass for the senator this past Saturday...

Scott Roeder Wants Justifiable Homicide Defense in George Tiller Abortion Case

Posted on August 31, 2009
LifeNews: "Militia activist Scott Roeder says he wants to use a justifiable homicide defense in connection with charges that he shot and killed late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller."

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