Religion & Law

ADF attorney available to media after hearing over NY town?s right to open meetings with prayer

Posted on August 12, 2009
ADF Media: Alliance Defense Fund Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster will be available for media interviews Thursday following his oral arguments at a hearing over the right of the Greece Town Board to open public meetings with prayer. Americans United for the Separation of Church and State sued the town on behalf of two residents who objected to the practice.

10th Circuit upholds child porn conviction based on evidence seized under drug-related warrant

Posted on August 12, 2009
Community Defense Counsel: "U.S v. Burgess, No. 08-8053 (10th Cir. Aug. 11, 2009) David Burgess was convicted in Wyoming for "knowing transportation of child pornography across state lines in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2252A(a)(1) and (b)(1) and knowing possession of child pornography transported in interstate commerce in violation of 18 U...

Some Scientists Still Seeking Truth on Homosexual Therapy

Posted on August 12, 2009
Nathan A. Cherry writes at the Blog of the Family Policy Council of West Virginia: "A recent study by Psychologists Stanton L. Jones and Mark A. Yarhouse challenges the traditional APA (American Psychological Association) premise that it is not possible to change sexual orientation, specifically, homosexual orientation, and that attempting to do so is harmful, according to a report by Inter Varsity Press...

?Pa. man gets 120 years for making child porn?

Posted on August 12, 2009
AP: "A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to 120 years in prison for making a huge cache of child pornography that shows him sexually assaulting a dozen children, including infants at a girlfriend's in-home day care."

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Statement of Ron Prentice, Executive Director, ProtectMarriage.com on Equality California Decision to Pursue a 2012 Election Repeal of Proposition

Posted on August 12, 2009
ProtectMarriage.com: "Based on ongoing conflict among the pro-homosexual marriage groups, it is still unclear if or when this issue may appear before voters in California. But whether in 2010, 2012, or beyond, ProtectMarriage.com will be ready to defend marriage and emerge victorious again...

ADF attorneys file suit against city of Cleveland over ?domestic partner? registry

Posted on August 12, 2009
"The new law gives cohabitating partners a legal recognition that is similar to that of married couples."

50 mln women in Asia at risk of HIV infection ? UNAIDS

Posted on August 11, 2009
Reuters: "Fifty million women in Asia are at risk of being infected with HIV because of the risky sexual behaviour of their husbands or boyfriends, leading health experts said in a report on Tuesday."

ACLU: Students With Disabilities Face Corporal Punishment At Higher Rate

Posted on August 11, 2009
ACLU: "Students with disabilities face corporal punishment in public schools at disproportionately high rates, says a report released today by the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch. The physical discipline, which often includes beatings, can worsen these students' medical conditions and undermine their education, says the report, which calls for an immediate moratorium on corporal punishment in U...

Huntsman resigns as Utah governor to be ambassador

Posted on August 11, 2009
AP: "Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman has resigned to become the U.S. ambassador to China."

The IRS and ?Pulpit Freedom?: No one is off the no-electioneering hook yet

Posted on August 11, 2009
Americans United for Separation of Church and State: "The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) has announced it will hold another 'Pulpit Freedom Sunday' on Sept. 27. You might recall that during this event, the Religious Right legal outfit urges pastors to openly break the law by endorsing and/or opposing candidates from the pulpit...

Kansas woman heads to court to assert free speech rights on abortion

Posted on August 11, 2009
LifeNews: "'Pro-life advocates shouldn't be arrested on baseless charges when they are simply exercising their First Amendment rights,' Blomberg told LifeNews.com. 'After abandoning its groundless arrest for trespassing, the Overland Park Police came up with the unsubstantiated charge of blocking traffic, which prevented Carrie from exercising her free speech rights...

New Study Measures Benefits of More Involved Fathers

Posted on August 11, 2009
LifeSiteNews: "'The vast majority of family services ? from parenting classes to home visits ? are really aimed at mothers, while fathers are almost completely overlooked,' explained Dr. Kyle Pruett, clinical professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine and a co-author of the study...

Feds Accuse Catholic Belmont Abbey College of Sexual Discrimination for Not Covering Contraception

Posted on August 11, 2009
LifeSiteNews: "The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has accused Belmont Abbey College of discriminating against its female employees by not covering contraceptives in its health insurance plan."

Pro-lifers mourn passing of Eunice Kennedy Shriver

Posted on August 11, 2009
LifeNews: "Although other members of the Kennedy family abandoned their pro-life beliefs as their political stock rose, Eunice Kennedy Shriver never did. And for that, a pro-life women's group that previously honored her is mourning the passing of the woman who founded Special Olympics...

Mike Johnson on KWTO: Prayer in Jesus? name at Town Meetings

Posted on August 11, 2009
ADF attorney Mike Johnson appeared on KWTO with Mary Reichard to discuss the issue of prayer in Jesus' name at town meetings. The MP3 runs just over 20 minutes. ADF Media Information page: ADF attorneys advise Chesapeake officials regarding constitutionality of invocations

Boise State alters policies to allow funds for religious groups

Posted on August 11, 2009
Inside Higher Ed: "Religiously affiliated groups will now be able to seek student fee money at Boise State University, under an agreement struck with students who sued the institution. The accord was announced by the Alliance Defense Fund, which (along with the Christian Legal Society) sued Boise State last winter on behalf of six students who alleged that they had been denied funds for Christian groups with which they were affiliated, even though money was provided to atheist groups...

Study: Humanities, social sciences ?anti-Christian?

Posted on August 11, 2009
One News Now: "A Christian professor says a new study reaffirms that a 'notorious' lack of diversity exists in the humanities and social sciences faculties at public universities. The study by the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research looked at how college majors and religious faith affect each other...

Change of Venue: In Retirement, Justice O?Connor Still Rules

Posted on August 11, 2009
Wall Street Journal: "Though she retired in 2006 to look after her ailing husband, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is still out there judging. Unbeknown even to some of her former colleagues on the Supreme Court, the 79-year-old jurist has been visiting federal appellate courts across the country, filling in as a substitute judge when vacations or vacancies leave their three-member panels understaffed...

Runaway Ohio teen who left Islam for Christianity fears returning home

Posted on August 11, 2009
Orlando Sentinel: "Rosa Gonzalez, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund, told Orange Circuit Judge Gail A. Adams the teen is in fear for her life. The sight of her father makes the teen 'frantic and hysterical,'" Gonzalez said. . " (video available)

Germans wary as mosque rises in Cologne

Posted on August 11, 2009
Christian Science Monitor: "In the Middle Ages, Cologne, in the heartland of German Catholicism, set out to build the biggest cathedral in the world. In 2010, the city's Gothic masterpiece will have a new rival on the skyline: The soaring minarets of Germany's largest mosque ...

The Impact of Violence and Pornography

Posted on August 11, 2009
The Knights of Columbus have issued this resolution calling "upon law enforcement officials at all levels to vigorously investigate and prosecute criminal conduct in this area, especially child pornography."

David French on the Michael Medved Show: Free Speech on Campus

Posted on August 11, 2009
David French, Director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, appeared on the Michael Medved Show to discuss the case of June Sheldon and other cases involving campus free speech issues. The MP3 runs just over 32 minutes.

Study: Homeschoolers Scoring ?Well Above? Public School Peers

Posted on August 11, 2009
"In the nationwide study conducted by Dr. Brian D. Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute, homeschoolers were found to have scored 34-39 percentile points higher than the norm on standardized achievement tests."

ADF fights charges against woman peacefully sharing pro-life message near abortion clinic

Posted on August 11, 2009
Alliance Defense Fund Litigation Counsel Daniel Blomberg will be available for media interviews Wednesday following his defense at trial of a woman arrested while sharing a pro-life message in front of a Planned Parenthood parking lot.

Florida: Fund backs Frank Lay?s legal bills

Posted on August 11, 2009
PNJ.com: "The fund is just one indication of the intense feelings in conservative Santa Rosa County communities about the charges against the two longtime school officials accused of disobeying an agreement that the School District reached with the American Civil Liberties Union...

Economist: The Growth of Homeschooling, Kitchen-classroom conservatives

Posted on August 11, 2009
The Economist: "In a 2007 survey by the Department of Education, 88% of home-schooling parents said that their local public schools were unsafe, drug-ridden or unwholesome in some way. Some 73% complained of shoddy academic standards. And 83% said they wanted to instil religious or moral values in their children?a number that has risen from 72% in 2003...

VA: Gubernatorial candidate to ?wage risky attack? on pro-life opponent

Posted on August 11, 2009
Washington Post: "Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate R. Creigh Deeds will launch a campaign this week to portray his opponent's longtime efforts to restrict abortion as out of the mainstream, a potentially risky strategy for a Democrat in the once solidly conservative state...

Calif. diocese first to split on ?gay divide?

Posted on August 11, 2009
Sun Journal (AP): "The conservative Diocese of San Joaquin voted Saturday to split from the liberal-leaning Episcopal Church, becoming the first full diocese to secede from the denomination in the debate over the Bible and homosexuality."

Lawmakers faces angry crowds on health care

Posted on August 11, 2009
Boston Globe (AP): "Jeers and taunts drowned out Democrats calling for a health care overhaul at town halls Tuesday, and one lawmaker said a swastika was spray-painted at his office as debate turned to noisy confrontation over President Barack Obama's plan...

Curses! Blasphemy, profanity laws still on the book

Posted on August 11, 2009
First Amendment Center: "But if you think old laws punishing profanity and blasphemy no longer exist, you're wrong ? a surprising number of state laws still prohibit such speech. Even though the laws are rarely enforced, they are still on the books."

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