Religion & Law

McCain Undecided on Vote for Sotomayor

Posted on August 03, 2009
CNSNews: "Sen. John McCain says he is still on the fence when it comes to voting for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor."

?Perry says religion, politics mix?

Posted on August 03, 2009
Houston Chronicle (AP): "Gov. Rick Perry says the idea that laws shouldn't be informed by religion is an extreme position."

Uganda: MPs call for more flexible abortion restrictions

Posted on August 03, 2009
AllAfrica.com: "Several Members of Parliament have asked the government to be more flexible and allow incest, rape and defilement victims to procure abortions."

About 200 arrested in violence against Christians in Pakistan

Posted on August 03, 2009
CNN: "About 200 people have been arrested in a flare-up of anti-Christian violence in Gojra that left seven dead, a government minister said Monday."

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Iraqi government seeks to block pornographic websites

Posted on August 03, 2009
Monsters and Critics: "The Iraqi government on Monday said it had appointed a general to oversee efforts to prevent internet users from accessing pornographic websites."

EU directive restricts Catholics, UK bishops warn

Posted on August 03, 2009
EWTN: "The Catholic Bishops? Conference of England and Wales as well as the Scottish Bishops? Conference have submitted a joint response to an EU proposal for an Equal Treatment Directive. The bishops voiced 'serious concerns' that the proposal?which covers religion, belief, disability, age and sexual orientation?could be used by ?pressure groups? to limit the freedom of Catholics...

?Gayby Boom? fueled by same-sex parents

Posted on August 03, 2009
ABC News: "Just under one percent of all couples in the U.S. -- or 594,391 people -- identify themselves as gay, lesbian or transgender, and about 20 percent of them are raising children under the age of 18, according to the Williams Institute, an organization that advances sexual orientation law and public policy...

Phony originalism

Posted on August 03, 2009
Kevin R. C. Gutzman writing at Taki's Magazine: "Since the days of Ronald Reagan and Edmund Meese, the Republican Party?s position has been that judges should be bound by the people?s understanding of a particular constitutional provision at the time they ratified it...

Rhode Island lawmakers seek to close prostitution loophole

Posted on August 03, 2009
WPRI (AP): "Negotiations are under way to close a loophole that allows prostitution in Rhode Island so long as it?s done indoors."

Four-part series on marriage equality and religious liberty by Prof. John Culhane

Posted on August 03, 2009
Part One at Proposition 8 and the Right to Marry: "Michael suggested I write on the issue of religious exemptions relating to gay marriages . . . But, what is the topic? Once unleashed, can these exemptions be restricted to the marriage arena? That?s the preliminary question I?m addressing today, in the first of these four consecutive, daily posts...

?Court gives Santeria priest OK to sacrifice goats?

Posted on August 03, 2009
AP: "A federal appeals court reversed a lower court's ruling on Friday that barred a Santeria priest from sacrificing goats in his Texas home, saying a city's decision to prohibit the ritual violated the man's religious rights." Merced v. City of Euless, Nos...

?Holder, gay marriage, and health care on ABA House agenda?

Posted on August 03, 2009
"Among the high-profile items on the 555-member House?s calendar are resolutions that: Urge repeal of a portion of the federal Defense of Marriage Act . . . "

Matt Bowman on Real Presence Radio Live: Increasing efforts to force participation in abortion

Posted on August 03, 2009
ADF attorney Matt Bowman appeared on Real Presence Radio Live to discuss the case of a Catholic nurse force to participate in a late term abortion and increasing efforts nationwide to force such participation. The MP3 runs just under 10 minutes. Related ADF Media information page

Retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter worried about lack of civics knowledge

Posted on August 03, 2009
How Appealing links to various reports and videos of Justice Souter's remarks to the Bar Association.

UK: ?Catholic Care makes High Court bid for gay adoption opt-out?

Posted on August 03, 2009
Community Care: "Catholic Care has applied to the High Court to appeal a ruling by the Charity Tribunal that prevents it from discriminating against homosexuals - and could lead to it closing its adoption service."

?Court Says Atheists Challenging School Program May Not Proceed Anonymously?

Posted on August 03, 2009
Religion Clause Blog: "In Freedom from Religion Foundation v. Creek, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 65818 (D CO, July 22, 2009), a Colorado federal magistrate judge denied plaintiffs' request that they be allowed to proceed using pseudonyms."

Church threatens excommunication as Italy green lights abortion pill

Posted on August 03, 2009
CathNews.com: "Defying Vatican opposition, Italy has authorised the used of the abortion drug Mifepristone, also known as RU-486. The Church is threatening to excommunicate doctors who prescribe the pill and women who take it."

Burundi faces criticism over law banning homosexual behavior

Posted on August 03, 2009
Digital Journal: "Now, in a new report issued by Human Rights Watch, an international organization headquartered in New York City and in existence since 1978, Burundi faces fresh criticism for making the lives of the LGBT community even more difficult than they were before the law was passed...

Ohio lawmaker: End charter school moratorium

Posted on August 03, 2009
Dayton Daily News: "State Sen. Jon Husted wants to lift a moratorium on new charter schools to make Ohio more competitive for federal Race to the Top education grants, he said Friday, July 31."

?Despite suit, gay partner law begins in Wisconsin?

Posted on August 03, 2009
On Top Magazine: "The group Wisconsin Family Action (WFA) and the Christian-based Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) are challenging the registry, arguing that is it prohibited by the state's constitutional ban on gay marriage approved by voters in 2006. WFA supported the passage of the anti-gay marriage amendment as the Family Research Institute...

Iowa, Nebraska Planned Parenthoods to merge

Posted on August 03, 2009
Omaha World-Herald: "Citing tight budgets and high expenses, Planned Parenthood affiliates based in Omaha and Des Moines are likely to merge by the end of the summer."

Domestic partnership registry opens Monday despite lawsuit

Posted on August 03, 2009
Winona Daily News: "Monday will be the first day same-sex couples in Wisconsin can register domestic partnerships, which will grant them 43 of the more than 200 rights afforded to married couples. . . . 'The new domestic partnership scheme is precisely the type of marriage imitation that the constitutional amendment approved by Wisconsin voters was intended to prevent,' said Brian Raum, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund, which is representing the plaintiffs...

In church vs. neighbors, bells begin the fight

Posted on August 03, 2009
Arizona Republic: "On the other side of the fence, Bishop Painter has notified the court of his plan to appeal his conviction and the silencing of the bells. Now he has the backing of the Alliance Defense Fund, a national advocacy group for religious freedom...

Christian club settles discrimination lawsuit with school

Posted on August 03, 2009
OneNewsNow: "'We have a puppetry club, an Oprah club, a knitting club, Girl Scouts club. We even have a "tolerance club." But, when the religious student club asked to meet, they said no because of the all-too-familiar so-called separation of church and state,' [David Cortman] recalls...

Church?s ban from Plaza Ferdinand nears end

Posted on August 03, 2009
Pensacola News Journal: "'Christian groups shouldn't be banned from public parks for engaging in faith-based activities,' said Alliance attorney Daniel Blomberg. 'We commend the city for agreeing to scrap its profoundly unconstitutional access policy for the park and recognizing the church's right to meet there and minister to the community through food and fellowship...

Supreme Court to be asked to hear Ten Commandments case

Posted on August 03, 2009
The Journal Record: "'I think it demonstrates just how bad the initial opinion was,' Theriot said of the evenly split vote. 'The dissenting opinions really point that out, that this is really the first case since Van Orden v. Perry where a Ten Commandments monument displayed along with other historical monuments was struck down as unconstitutional...

Airport chapels removing Christian symbols

Posted on August 03, 2009
One News Now: "While U.S. airports often have chapels, many of them no longer display crosses or other symbols that would make them specific to a particular faith."

Illinois: ?ACLU, courts prepare for abortion notification?

Posted on August 03, 2009
State Journal-Register: "The ACLU, which had fought the 14-year-old parental notification law from going into effect, now is working to make the process smooth for girls expected to seek what is known as 'judicial bypass.' The not-for-profit group has set up a toll-free phone number ...

?Wisconsin?s domestic partner registry is now open for business?

Posted on August 03, 2009
The Capital Times: "With some 1,400 to 2,400 same-sex couples living in Dane County, turnout Monday was expected to be robust as couples have their first opportunity to take advantage of the historic piece of legislation signed by Gov. Jim Doyle June 29...

Robert George: ?Gay Marriage, Democracy, and the Courts?

Posted on August 03, 2009
"It would be disastrous for the justices to do so. They would repeat the error in Roe v. Wade: namely, trying to remove a morally charged policy issue from the forums of democratic deliberation and resolve it according to their personal lights."

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