Religion & Law

Mike Johnson on WSCA FM: Public invocations and other religious freedom battles

Posted on August 06, 2009
ADF attorney Mike Johnson appeared on WSCA FM to discuss public invocations and other religious freedom battles. The MP3 runs just under 30 minutes. ADF Pulpit Initiative

UN: Radical homosexual group targets CEDAW to push ?gender identity? message

Posted on August 06, 2009
C-FAM: The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) recently released a handbook for activists on how to use the United Nations committee, responsible for overseeing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), to introduce 'fluid' concepts of 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity' into the established human rights arena...

Oklahoma: Courthouse gives boot to 10 Commandments

Posted on August 06, 2009
OneNewsNow: "'The county commissioners expressed their personal views on their own time that they thought the Ten Commandments monument on the courthouse lawn was a good idea, but none of the comments were made during a meeting or in their official capacity,' says Theriot...

Korea?s Constitutional Court Upholds Ban on Columbaria Near Schools

Posted on August 06, 2009
Religion Clause Blog: "Korea's Constitutional Court on July 30 upheld a law that bans locating a columbarium within 200 meters of a school. Indian Catholic reports the court held that the law can be applied to columbaria owned by religious organizations as well as those owned privately.

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?Senate poised to make history with Sotomayor vote?

Posted on August 06, 2009
AP: "The Democratic-led Senate is set to vote Thursday to confirm President Barack Obama's high court nominee, a 55-year-old appeals court judge of Puerto Rican descent who was raised in a New York City housing project, educated in the Ivy League and served 17 years on the federal bench...

International Groups Pressure Dominican Government to Remove Pro-Life Constitutional Provisions as Final Vote Approaches

Posted on August 06, 2009
LifeSiteNews: "As the Dominican Republic's National Congress approaches the final vote on the right to life in its constitution, a pro-abortion legislator is claiming he has the votes to inject rape and incest exceptions for abortion into the country's new charter document...

?Minnesota Based Online GLBTQ High School to Start Classes in January?

Posted on August 06, 2009
GLAAD Blog: "According to the Pioneer Press in the Twin Cities, a new online high school will make it easier for GLBTQ students feel comfortable while working towards their diploma . . . The GLBTQ Online High School is based out of Maplewood, MN, and the idea was executed by David Glick, Minnesota?s first online coordinator at the Minnesota Department of Education...

Oakland Abortion ?Bubble Zone? Ordinance Upheld by Federal Judge

Posted on August 06, 2009
"A federal judge ruled yesterday that the City of Oakland's 2008 'bubble' ordinance, which prohibits pro-life protesters outside abortion facilities from standing within 8 feet of women seeking abortions, is constitutional."

Suit Claims Free Exercise Right For Parochial School Student To Be In Public School Band

Posted on August 06, 2009
Religion Clause Blog: "Yesterday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Trefelner has decided to attend a Catholic high school next year instead of continuing in public school. Because of that, he will not be able to continue to participate in the public school's extracurricular band programs, even though home schooled and cyber-schooled students can...

Rick Garnett: ?Church autonomy? more important legally than church displays

Posted on August 06, 2009
Rick Garnett writing at Prawfsblawg: "I've been saying -- perhaps, given my own research interests, for selfish reasons -- that 'church autonomy' questions, and not holiday displays, etc., are now the more important law-and-religion ones and should be the focus of religious-freedom scholars and lawyers...

Mariners appeal strip-club ruling

Posted on August 06, 2009
Seattle Times: "The Seattle Mariners have appealed a judge's ruling that cleared the way for a strip club to open near Safeco Field."

9th Circuit: Business owner cannot challenge CAN-SPAM Act

Posted on August 06, 2009
In its opinion, the 9th Circuit undertook to ?review the federal statutory scheme of the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (?CAN-SPAM?) Act of 2003, 15 U.S.C. § 7701 et seq., and assume the formidable task of determining the statutory standing requirements and the scope of federal preemption intended by Congress...

TX: Supreme Court Justice Harriett O?Neill to leave bench

Posted on August 06, 2009
Supreme Court of Texas blog: "This week I met with Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson and informed him that I do not intend to seek reelection when my term expires in 2010."

World Congress of Families V will be Broadcast Live on the Internet

Posted on August 06, 2009
Christian Newswire: "World Congress of Families V (Amsterdam, August 10-12), will be the first Congress to be web-cast live on the internet with video and audio." www.worldcongress.org

?ACLU Lawsuit Charges Georgia Kosher Laws Are Unconstitutional?

Posted on August 06, 2009
ACLU: "The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Georgia today filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Kosher Food Labeling Act. By mandating that any food sold as kosher in the state of Georgia must meet the 'Orthodox Hebrew religious rules and requirements,' the challenged statute delegitimizes alternative interpretations of kosher adhered to in other Jewish communities...

R. Albert Mohler, Jr.: The Case for (Early) Marriage

Posted on August 06, 2009
"Marriage is the central crucible for accepting and fulfilling the adult responsibilities of work, parenthood, and the full acceptance of mature responsibilities."

New Study on Florida Tax Credit Scholarships

Posted on August 06, 2009
Greg Forster writes at Jay P. Greene's Blog: "Today the Friedman Foundation releases a new study I co-authored with Christian D?Andrea on the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program. You may recall that program as the subject of last month?s rush to judgment...

Senate Committee OKs ?Pro-Life? Catholic Douglas Kmiec as Malta Ambassador

Posted on August 06, 2009
Life News: "The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday approved the nomination of a pro-Obama political activists who has caused headaches for the pro-life Catholic community . . ."

Reuters counters AP nonsense on the value of web links

Posted on August 06, 2009
Chris Ahearn, President at Thomas Reuters, on the Reuters Blog: "If you are doing something that you would object to if others did it to you ? stop . . . Please feel free to link to our stories ? it adds value to all producers of content."

Sotomayor to be sworn in August 8

Posted on August 06, 2009
AP: "According to the Court?s Public Information Office, Sonia Sotomayor will be sworn in as an Associate Justice on Saturday, August 8, at 11 a.m. at the Supreme Court of the United States."

Ohio Gov. appoints ?openly gay judge?

Posted on August 05, 2009
GayPolitics.com: "Ohio Governor Ted Strickland announced today the appointment of Jerry Larson to Akron, OH Municipal Court. Larson, who is openly gay, will fill the seat vacated by Judge Linda Kersker, who passed away July 2."

Conn. AG joins fight against sexually oriented businesses

Posted on August 05, 2009
Hartford Courant: "Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal says he's fighting a federal court decision that threatens cities and towns' ability to regulate sexually oriented businesses." AG Press Release: Attorney General Fights To Uphold Rights To Regulate Sexually Oriented Businesses: "In the case of VIP of Berlin, LLC v...

HRC: ?Inclusive ENDA Introduced in Senate for First Time?

Posted on August 05, 2009
HRC Backstory Blog: "The bill with lead sponsors Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Susan Collins (R-ME), Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) would create federal protections against workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity...

Since when did praying in Jesus? name become a legality issue?

Posted on August 05, 2009
LA Church and State Examiner:"Below is 'Chaps' prayer and petition . . . Please allow pro-bono Christian lawyers, from the Alliance Defense Fund or others, to defend your pro-Jesus prayer policy in court."

Wilson County to revisit God?s place in schools

Posted on August 05, 2009
The Tennessean: "'It was all about having a proper balance when it comes to religious expression,' said attorney Nate Kellum with the [Alliance] Defense Fund, which filed suit in March on behalf of the families."

Kentucky: ?County to pay ACLU for court fight over Ten Commandments?

Posted on August 05, 2009
Courier-Journal: "Jackson County must pay legal costs of nearly $6,000 to the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky and another plaintiff to settle a lawsuit over displays of the Ten Commandments throughout the county courthouse."

Alaska Planned Parenthood sues to stop parental notification

Posted on August 05, 2009
LifeNews: "Parents of teenage girls in Alaska may want the right to know when their daughters are considering an abortion, but Alaska Planned Parenthood doesn't want them to get to vote on it. The abortion business has filed a lawsuit seeking to stop a state ballot initiative that would allow parental notification before abortion...

?Abortion cannot be imposed on Malta?

Posted on August 05, 2009
Times of Malta: "The Swedish Liberal MP who is campaigning to harmonise EU legislation on abortion has admitted that the practice 'cannot be imposed on Malta.'"

Nominations Roadblock

Posted on August 05, 2009
Washington Post: "It has been almost six months since President Obama nominated Indiana law professor Dawn E. Johnsen to head the Justice Department's influential Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). Almost five months have passed since the Senate Judiciary Committee gave her a favorable vote and sent the nomination to the full Senate...

Boston to unveil new teen ?safer-sex? program

Posted on August 05, 2009
Boston Globe: "Alarmed by the rampant spread of sexually transmitted germs among Boston teenagers, city disease trackers will unveil a safer-sex campaign today that aims to talk to adolescents via their preferred modes of communication: Facebook, YouTube, and cable channels...

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