Religion & Law

Advocacy group helps charter

Posted on August 12, 2009
Idaho Press-Tribune: "Nampa Classical Academy officials have asked an organization that says it defends religious liberty to help the school explain its use of the Bible in its school curriculum. The Alliance Defense Fund, based in Arizona, is a 'Christ-centered' organization that 'aggressively defends religious liberty,' according to its Web site, and is involved in numerous legal cases...

?Equality California Recommends Returning to Ballot in 2012 to Win Marriage Back for Same-Sex Couples?

Posted on August 12, 2009
Equality California: "Today Equality California (EQCA) released "Winning Back Marriage Equality in California: Analysis and Plan," a proposed 3-year-effort to repeal the ban on marriage for same-sex couples in 2012 with coordinated statewide organizing both on the ground and online, opportunities for families headed by same-sex couples to share their stories through advertising and other platforms, a timeline for a victory and an opportunity for both grassroots leaders and larger organizations to work together...

Alarmist language sparking fears of mandatory vaccinations, quarantines

Posted on August 12, 2009
WorldNetDaily: "The Constitution Party cited the research of Bill Sardi, who noted the 'cozy relationship' where the WHO 'prematurely' declares a pandemic, forcing dozens of governments to buy flu vaccines. Then, he wrote, public health authorities invoke mandatory vaccination programs for children...

Sen. Specter Says He?ll Pitch ?Fascinating? Option of Health Care Referendum

Posted on August 12, 2009
FoxNews: "Asked by one town hall participant about the idea of a national referendum on health care reform, Sen. Arlen Specter called the option 'fascinating' and said he would take the idea to Washington, though he noted that the federal government currently lacks any mechanism for doing so...

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Anchorage approves ?gay-rights? ordinance; veto still possible

Posted on August 12, 2009
McClatchy: "By a 7-4 vote, the Anchorage Assembly Tuesday approved a compromise ordinance that bans discrimination in Anchorage on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity."

Focus on the Family Hands Over ?Love Won Out?

Posted on August 12, 2009
Christian Post: "Focus on the Family announced on Tuesday that it will be passing the reigns of its Love Won Out conferences on homosexuality to another ministry . . . Starting November, Love Won Out conferences will be led by Exodus International, one of the largest Christian organizations that deals with homosexual issues and promotes 'freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ...

Italy village bangs pots to protest silenced bells

Posted on August 12, 2009
Boston Globe (AP): "Anna Daneri, who led the protest, said that early Wednesday morning, after a few pot-banging protest sessions, the church bells started chiming again."

Extremist attacks on Christians spur ADF funding for legal defense project in India

Posted on August 12, 2009
Glen Lavy: ?Christians should have their legal rights protected no matter what country they are in. The persecution of Christians in India calls for a concerted legal effort to deter future attacks and to bring about justice. . . ?

Wash. wants Planned Parenthood to repay $630K

Posted on August 12, 2009
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (AP): "An audit has found that Spokane-based Planned Parenthood of the Inland Northwest required unnecessary office visits by its poorest patients, leading to excessive payments from Medicaid totalling nearly $630,000."

Mark Earley: ?Marrying Earlier: Why Wait?

Posted on August 12, 2009
Mark Earley writes at the Christian Post: "The traditional, nuclear family is under enormous, arguably unprecedented, strain. The past 40 years have witnessed the deconstruction of the institution, culminating in efforts to redefine it out of existence ...

AARP: Obama got it wrong

Posted on August 12, 2009
One News Now: "A group usually seen as one of Barack Obama's allies in the health care debate -- AARP -- says the president went too far Tuesday when he said the seniors lobby had endorsed the legislation pending in Congress."

?HRC Statement on National Equality March in Washington?

Posted on August 12, 2009
HRC: "On October 11, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists and allies will meet by the United States Capitol in Washington, DC. The first national gathering of LGBT volunteers, community members, and supporters since the 2008 elections and the passage of Proposition 8, this event provides a powerful opportunity to harness the energy?both excitement and anger?that this historic year has sparked...

Right to Work States Aren?t Safe If Card Check Forced Unionism Passes

Posted on August 12, 2009
National Right to Work Foundation: "Union bosses are trying to downplay the impact of their 'Card Check Forced Unionism' legislation in Right to Work states. While Right to Work laws are critical in protecting employees from forced union dues and in creating jobs and a higher standard of living, the fact is they do not deter coercive union organizing and other types of union abuse...

3 Out Of 4 Quebecers Want Euthanasia Legalized

Posted on August 12, 2009
LifeSiteNews: "An Angus Reid-La Presse poll carried out on August 4 and 5 has found that more than three quarters of Quebecers agree that euthanasia should be legalized in Quebec."

Personhood amendment making inroads in Colorado

Posted on August 12, 2009
One News Now: "Personhood Colorado campaign co-chairman Gualberto Garcia Jones says 75,000 petition signatures are needed to get the issue on the 2010 ballot. He is optimistic because his group did well taking the issue to voters last year."

AlterNet carries Americans United hit piece on David Barton

Posted on August 12, 2009
Rob Boston of Americans United for Separation of Church and State has authored the AlterNet article that carries this sub caption: "David Barton likens himself to a biblical prophet. He wants to destroy the separation of church and state. Why is he designing school curricula?" The article is titled: Christian Cowboy Plots to Bring Christ into Kids' Social Studies Class

Indonesia May Be Moving Toward Imposing More Islamic Restrictions

Posted on August 12, 2009
Religion Clause Blog: "Today's Malaysian Insider carries an article on developments in Indonesia that some argue are moving it away from its secular and multi-religious foundations. Indonesia's Parliament is debating a draft law that would require all businesses to obtain halal certification for products they sell...

Churches avoid improper tax investigations

Posted on August 12, 2009
OneNewsNow: "'That's right -- and when Congress passed the Church Audit Procedures Act, it was intended to remove some of the political wrangling that might be going on behind the scenes at the IRS and to require that this decision to go after a church to be made at a sufficiently high level,' [Erik Stanley] notes...

Report: Pitino tells cops he paid for abortion

Posted on August 12, 2009
AP: "Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino told police he had sex in a restaurant six years ago with a woman now accused of trying to extort millions of dollars from him. And when she told him two weeks later she was pregnant, he gave her $3,000 for an abortion...

Should the Supreme Court Alter Its Approach to Campaign Finance Regulation?

Posted on August 12, 2009
Michael C. Dorf writes at Findlaw: "Among the most important decisions the Supreme Court made last Term was its decision not to decide the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Comm'n (FEC). On the last day of its Term, the Court ordered re-argument in this case, which involves FEC regulation of the political film "Hillary: The Movie" during the 2008 primary campaign...

EEOC-Charlotte Under Scrutiny

Posted on August 12, 2009
The Catholic League has submitted a letter to the EEOC in connection with its investigation of a Catholic College in North Carolina due to its refusal to provide health insurance coverage for contraceptives.

France: Woman in head-to-toe swim suit denied pool entry

Posted on August 12, 2009
AP: "French officials say a Muslim woman wearing a head-to-toe swimsuit has been denied access to a public swimming pool in a town southeast of Paris."

ACLU: NC Activist can warn students about military

Posted on August 12, 2009
AP: " A rural North Carolina school district with a proud military tradition has surrendered to a Quaker peace activist's request for access to high school students so she can warn them about joining the military, attorneys said Wednesday."

You Only Live Twice: How the First Amendment Impacts Child Pornography in Second Life

Posted on August 12, 2009
Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review: "This Comment explores whether virtual child pornography, as it appears 'In-world,' should be protected as free speech under the First Amendment."

Equality California resources going into Maine marriage battle?

Posted on August 12, 2009
"One of California's largest gay activist groups held a press conference on Wednesday, August 12, announcing they will be diverting resources to Maine to help to keep Maine's new anti-traditional marriage bill on the law books."

Obama?s remarks on Harvey Milk at Medal of Freedom ceremony

Posted on August 12, 2009
White House Briefing Room: "His name was Harvey Milk, and he was here to recruit us -- all of us -- to join a movement and change a nation. For much of his early life, he had silenced himself. In the prime of his life, he was silenced by the act of another...

California Judge orders new filings in marriage litigation

Posted on August 12, 2009
"The governor and attorney general, who are supposed to defend state laws, submitted separate but similar filings Friday saying they would leave it to the conservative legal group the Alliance Defense Fund to take the lead in defending California's gay marriage ban...

Muslims riot in Paris again

Posted on August 12, 2009
The New American: "Three years after their first car-burning spasm of mayhem, vandalism, and violence, those 'restive youths' in Paris are at it again. This time, the Associated Press reports, they are rioting in Bagnolet, a suburb of Paris. And as with the last time, the media are reluctant to explain who the 'restive youths' are...

Judge rules against portion of North Dakota abortion law

Posted on August 12, 2009
"A judge says North Dakota`s only abortion clinic does not have to provide audio of a fetal heartbeat for women who want to end their pregnancies."

UK Government to Michael Savage: You can?t think that!

Posted on August 12, 2009
WorldNetDaily: "Savage told WND at the time the Home Office chose him to balance the list of Muslim extremists because he is Jewish."

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