Religion & Law

3rd Circuit: Abortion protestors can?t block handicapped ramp

Posted on August 26, 2009
Courthouse News Service: "Abortion protesters can't gather on the handicapped entrance ramp to a Planned Parenthood clinic, the 3rd Circuit ruled, because the protest would block access to the ramp." McTernan v. York, No. 07-2670 (3rd Cir. Aug. 24, 2009)

Croatia?s strict sex education gets green light

Posted on August 26, 2009
EurActiv: A pro-abstinence sex education programme used in many Croatian schools is legally acceptable, the European Committee for Social Rights (ECSR) has found . . . Hailing the decision, Roger Kiska, a legal counsel at the Alliance Defense Fund, an alliance of Christian attorneys, said 'we are pleased that the European Committee for Social Rights has upheld the right for parents to choose an option that does not violate [their] core religious and moral beliefs...

European committee upholds pro-abstinence sex education program

Posted on August 26, 2009
LifeSiteNews: "The body that polices compliance with the European Social Charter, a human rights document binding on all states within the Council of Europe, has deemed a pro-abstinence sex education program used in many Croatian schools to be acceptable...

Anti-marriage case thrown out

Posted on August 26, 2009
CitizenLink: "On Monday, a U.S. District judge threw out a challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) on a technicality. DOMA defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman . . . Brian Raum, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, said he's confident, no matter what happens, that DOMA will stand...

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Judge dismisses DOMA challenge

Posted on August 26, 2009
Christianity Today: "A judge dismissed a California gay couple's lawsuit claiming that the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional, a week after U.S. Justice Department lawyers defended the law . . . Brian Raum, a lawyer for the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal group that has joined the government in defending the federal marriage law, said Carter was right to dismiss the case on procedural grounds...

Drama in Moscow court over lesbian ?marriage?

Posted on August 26, 2009
AP: "The debate over whether to allow a lesbian couple to marry in Russia sparked an angry exchange inside a Moscow courtroom Wednesday, while outside the women locked lips to protest a holdup in proceedings."

Fla. students sent home over for shirts on Islam

Posted on August 26, 2009
AP: "A lawyer for a north Florida school district says a handful of students have been sent home from Alachua County schools this week for wearing shirts that read 'Islam is of the Devil.'"

Gov. would OK law change for Kennedy successor

Posted on August 26, 2009
AP: "Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick supports changing state law to allow him to appoint an interim successor to Sen. Edward Kennedy's seat."

Souter donates papers, blocks access for 50 years

Posted on August 26, 2009
The Blog of Legal Times: "The New Hampshire Historical Society has announced that retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter is donating his personal and professional papers to the society. But don't book travel to New Hampshire quite yet to take a peek; Souter has placed an extraordinarily long restriction on public access to his papers, barring anyone -- researchers, historians, friends, journalists -- from viewing the material for 50 years...

National Organization for Marriage targets Iowa

Posted on August 26, 2009
WQAD.com (AP): "The National Organization for Marriage has initiated the Reclaim Iowa Project, targeting legislative races in Iowa in an effort to elect candidates who support putting the gay marriage issue before voters."

Japan: ?Political shift gives hope to gays?

Posted on August 26, 2009
The Japan Times: "The nation's gay and lesbian community, which has long been calling for an antidiscrimination law to protect their rights, has seen similar bills proposed and scrapped in the Diet for nearly a decade. The likelihood that the Democratic Party of Japan, the last party to submit such a bill, will dominate the powerful House of Representatives in an alliance with the Social Democratic Party, which speaks out for homosexual rights, has raised hopes that the inertia may at last be overcome...

Australia: Interstate abortion seekers face ban

Posted on August 26, 2009
The Australiana: "NSW hospitals have threatened to start turning away abortion cases sent to them from boycotting Queensland hospitals within days, after three patients were sent over the border this week. The secretary of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Gino Pecoraro, said yesterday NSW hospitals had told the Royal Women's Hospital in Brisbane they would review their willingness to carry out abortions on Queensland patients from next week...

Kenyan Christians and Muslims in a tangle over schools

Posted on August 26, 2009
Christian Telegraph: 'There is a problem here,' Anglican Bishop Julius Kalu told Ecumenical News International from the coastal city of Mombasa. 'Muslims want to own the existing schools under the sponsorship of Christians, especially Anglicans and Catholics...

China moves to cut use of executed inmates? organs

Posted on August 26, 2009
AP: "China has launched a national organ donation system to try to reduce its dependence on body parts harvested from executed prisoners, who make up the majority of donors, state media reported Wednesday."

?Gay clergy: The state of the debate, 2009?

Posted on August 26, 2009
Religion Link: "A contentious season of conventions, debates and votes on the role of gays and lesbians in the churches has left the American religious landscape altered in significant ways. This edition of ReligionLink provides an update on the state of the debate, with resources for covering what will remain a disputed issue...

Nueces County Votes on Potential Planned Parenthood Funding: Free Market Foundation Speaks Out on Funding for Sex Ed

Posted on August 26, 2009
Free Market Foundation: "'As government entities at all levels are looking to make responsible decisions, government resources should not be spent on organizations that stand to profit from failed sex education policies,' said Jonathan Saenz, legislative director at Free Market Foundation, who testified in the public hearing...

?The School of Salamanca Saw This Coming?: Inflation is Satan?s work

Posted on August 26, 2009
Jerzy Strzelecki writes at the Ludwig Von Mises Institute Blog: "The destruction of 97 percent of greenback purchasing power cannot but be considered Satan's work. At least on this point, everyone can certainly agree!"

Barney Frank?s online gambling bill likely to be delayed

Posted on August 26, 2009
Gambling Review: "Barney Frank has been trying to repeal the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) for a while, introducing legislation as far back as 2007. UIGEA was passed in 2006. Frank currently has a bill in the House of Representatives that would legalize and regulate online gambling, but it has already been delayed and now, sources say, it will have to wait...

?The importance of Wisconsin?s domestic registry law?

Posted on August 26, 2009
Proposition 8 and the Right to Marry: "On August 21st, Wisconsin Attorney General J.B Van Hollen announced his decision not to defend Wisconsin's new domestic registry law in Appling v. Doyle (Wis. Supreme Court Case No. 2009AP001860) . . . The nation's leading Christian legal advocacy group, the Alliance Defense Fund, has defended super DOMA amendments against the perceived inroads that these laws represent...

Cal Thomas: National Suicide

Posted on August 26, 2009
Cal Thomas writes at Townhall: "Perhaps politicians think they will never be held accountable three generations from now because they won't be around to explain to those not yet born why they refused to stop our financial hemorrhaging."

A ?Lost Year? for 2Ls: About Half of BigLaw Jobs Are Gone

Posted on August 26, 2009
ABA Journal: "Large law firms are hiring about half as many summer associates as usual, resulting in ?the most wrenching job search season in over 50 years,? the New York Times reports."

?ACLU Urges Florida Appellate Court To Affirm Ruling Striking Florida Law Barring Gay People From Adopting?

Posted on August 26, 2009
ACLU: "The American Civil Liberties Union appeared before a Florida appellate court today to urge the court to let stand an earlier ruling striking down Florida?s law barring lesbians and gay men from adopting."

NH court orders home-schooled child into government-run school

Posted on August 26, 2009
"the [Master] nonetheless proposed that the Christian girl be ordered into a government-run school after considering 'the impact of [her religious] beliefs on her interaction with others.'"

Secret CPC Directive Calls for the Dismantling of Six House Churches in Beijing

Posted on August 26, 2009
Voice of the Martyrs Blog: "ChinaAid learned the Chinese government recently issued a secret directive calling the government agencies to dismantle at least six major house churches before the end of August. ChinaAid believes these actions have been taken in preparation for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the CPC's rule in China...

Wash. Secretary of State: ?R-71 update: Signature count tops 100,000?

Posted on August 25, 2009
Washington Secretary of State: "The cumulative total is now nearly 104,000 checked signatures and just over 12,000 rejected for one reason or another. The overall error rate is 11.72 percent, barely up from 11.68 percent, which we reported Friday. In order to make the November statewide ballot, the referendum?s overall rejection rate must not go over 12...

Cal. Senate approves resolution calling for end of ?don?t ask, don?t tell?

Posted on August 25, 2009
The Desert Sun: "The California Senate today endorsed a resolution calling on the repeal of 'don?t ask, don?t tell,' the Pentagon policy that bans gays and lesbians from serving in the armed forces."

ACLU?s Request to Jail Lisa Miller Fails in Virginia Court

Posted on August 25, 2009
Liberty Counsel: "Earlier today, Liberty Counsel appeared in court to defend Lisa Miller from a complaint filed by the ACLU of Virginia on behalf of Janet Jenkins. The ACLU asked the judge to order Lisa to jail for not delivering her own daughter, Isabella, to Vermont for unsupervised visitation with Janet...

?Step inside the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck?

Posted on August 25, 2009
Decider New York City: "Along with his boyfriend, Bryan Petroff, Quint started working up unique toppings, and came up with the name to tweak expectations. 'Making kids say or think of the word "gay"? without it having a playground-insult connotation, I thought, would be a good thing,' he says...

N.J. activists from both sides prepare for ?gay marriage? bill debate

Posted on August 25, 2009
NJ.com: "Both sides -- those who say they want to 'protect marriage' as it is, and those who call for 'marriage equality' -- are recruiting and mobilizing volunteers to pressure lawmakers. A bill that would allow gay marriage is expected to be debated in Trenton during the lame-duck period between the Nov...

Milk Day backers try to change governor?s mind

Posted on August 25, 2009
The San Francisco Chronicle reports on ramped up effort "to persuade Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign a bill to establish a Harvey Milk Day in California schools, similar to existing days honoring John Muir and the California poppy."

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