Religion & Law

?For born-again governor, love is a matter of faith?

Posted on July 02, 2009
AP: "The Christian counselors Sanford sought out while trying to decide whether to stay with his wife or jump on a plane to South America advised him what else love is and isn't. 'Their point is that love is not a feeling,' Sanford told The Associated Press in a tearful two-day confessional...

?Indian court decriminalizes consensual gay sex?

Posted on July 02, 2009
AP: "The Delhi High Court ruled that treating consensual gay sex as a crime is a violation of fundamental rights protected by India's constitution. The ruling, the first of its kind in India, applies only in New Delhi."

Obama promises robust conscience protection

Posted on July 02, 2009
Tim Drake reports in the National Catholic Register: "'The most noteworthy thing during the meeting was his dispelling of what you might call the expectation of the worst regarding conscience clauses,' said Father Kearns [NCR editor and publisher]. ' ...

David French on the Michael Medved Show: Christian Issues on Campus

Posted on July 02, 2009
David French, Director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, appeared on the Michael Medved Show to discuss religious freedom for Christians on Campus. The mp3 runs just over 30 minutes.

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Federal court refuses to enjoin Cal. Marriage Amendment

Posted on July 02, 2009
"Today, in yet another victory for traditional marriage, Judge Vaughn Walker refused to grant the plaintiffs? request for a preliminary injunction designed to put Prop 8 on hold."

ACLU: ??America?s Toughest Sheriff? Agrees To Stop Requiring Court Orders For Abortions But Creates New Obstacle?

Posted on July 02, 2009
ACLU: "The American Civil Liberties Union late yesterday asked an Arizona court to prevent Maricopa County Sheriff Joseph Arpaio from requiring inmates to prepay transportation costs before they can obtain an abortion."

Ohio Supreme Court agrees state law requires compliance with abortion drug restrictions

Posted on July 02, 2009
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Friday that an Ohio statute does indeed require abortionists to abide by the manufacturer?s dosing instructions and warnings when prescribing the abortion drug RU-486.

Delaware Notches Pair of Pro-Family Wins

Posted on July 02, 2009
Citizen Link: "A Planned Parenthood bill that would have restricted parents' access to their children at an abortion clinic has failed in the Delaware Legislature, and lawmakers also passed tougher restrictions on sexually oriented businesses . . . "

Christian lawyers group opens hotline for referendum ?retaliation?

Posted on July 02, 2009
Richard Roesler reports in the Columbia, WA Spokesman-Review: "The Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund today launched a free phone hotline and Web site to gather accounts of threats or other harassment of people gathering signatures for Referendum 71...

Pennsylvania: A Powerful Gambling Lobby in Harrisburg

Posted on July 02, 2009
PA Family Institute Blog: "A just- released report by Common Cause of Pennsylvania shows that the casino industry contributed more than $4.2 million dollars to Pennsylvania candidates this decade. You can add more than $12 million to that total from casino-employed lawyers, lobbyists and other influence peddlers...

Welcome to School Choice, Indiana!

Posted on July 02, 2009
Jay P. Greene's Blog: "Yesterday, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels signed a budget bill that contained a $2.5 million school choice program. It?s a tax-credit scholarship program that will serve a couple thousand students."

Episcopal Leaders Prepare for Homosexuality Debates

Posted on July 02, 2009
Christian Post: "Members of the Episcopal House of Deputies are expected to address homosexuality issues and how LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) members are involved in The Episcopal Church during the meeting with Archbishop of Canterbury Dr...

?National Organization for Marriage plots course in gay marriage debate?

Posted on July 02, 2009
Everyday Christian: "Brian Brown has as much of a background ? and as much at stake ? in the ongoing debate over gay marriage as anyone. Brown is the executive director of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) which strongly advocates in favor of traditional marriage...

Doctors reject faith right call

Posted on July 02, 2009
BBC: "The British Medical Association conference in Liverpool debated a motion saying medics should be free to discuss spiritual issues. But delegates at the union's annual meeting refused to back the proposal."

?DC school district restores LGBT titles to summer reading lists?

Posted on July 02, 2009
Rocco Stain reports in The School Library Journal: "The Washington, DC, school district that had previously scrubbed gay-themed books from its summer reading list has restored all of the titles following objections from librarians and the capital?s gay and lesbian community...

Voter ?animus? to be issue in Calif marriage case

Posted on July 02, 2009
"In the Colorado case, Romer v. Evans, the Supreme Court majority held that voters' dislike of gays and the laws that several cities had approved to shield them from bias motivated the state amendment."

Buying NY Legislators to Redefine Marriage

Posted on July 02, 2009
"Winning on gay marriage has become an obsession among wealthy donors and lobbying groups . . . tak[ing] gay leaders into the campaign strategy sessions and legislative offices of Albany's elected and hopefuls."

Title V abstinence funding expires

Posted on July 02, 2009
North Carolina Family Policy Council: "June 30 marked the end of Title V funding from the federal government for abstinence education programs, meaning that these programs must now look elsewhere for funding. Title V provided $50 million a year in block grants to states exclusively for the teaching of abstinence education, and North Carolina typically received about $1...

Montana group pushes for pro-life measure

Posted on July 02, 2009
John S. Adams reports in the Great Falls Tribune: "A Montana anti-abortion group launched a new campaign on Wednesday aimed at changing the state's constitution to define 'personhood' as all human beings 'from the beginning of the biological development of that human being...

?The Real Thing? New York Republican Claims Democrats Misconstrued a Coke Run as Political Statement?

Posted on July 02, 2009
Jonathan Turley reports: "Sen. Frank Padavan of Queens says that he was on a quest for a Coca Cola, not voting, when he cut through the Senate floor on the way to the member lounge?s soda machine. The Democrats immediately counted him as the 32nd vote and unanimously passed 125 bills in three hours with Republicans absent...

Kmiec Chosen for Ambassador to Malta

Posted on July 02, 2009
The Blog of Legal Times: The White House said today that Obama has chosen Kmiec as the new ambassador to Malta, the archipelago nation south of Italy.

Al-Qaida-linked thugs now executing children

Posted on July 02, 2009
WorldNetDaily: "An al-Qaida-linked terror group has been identified as the organization that dragged off three children of a Christian father in Somalia and executed two of them by beheading, according to a horrifying new report from Compass Direct News...

News agencies gagging ?gay? factor in boy?s rape

Posted on July 02, 2009
WorldNetDaily: "News coverage of a Duke University official accused of raping his adopted 5-year-old son and offering the child to someone else is apparently lacking what some say is a key piece of information: the fact the alleged perpetrator is a homosexual who lives with another 'gay' man...

Roberts: Supreme Court not setting school rules

Posted on July 02, 2009
Sue Lindsay reports in the Washington Post (AP): "At a judicial conference, Roberts was asked how school administrators should interpret seemingly conflicting messages from the court in two recent decisions, including one Thursday that said Arizona officials conducted an unconstitutional strip-search of a teenage girl...

Mexican gangs target outspoken priests in drug war

Posted on July 02, 2009
Reuters: "Around 1,000 Catholic priests face constant threats from drug gangs across Mexico and as many as 400 have been directly warned to silence their criticisms of narco violence and extortions or be killed, the Mexican Bishop's Conference says."

Christian Educators in Santa Rosa County Fight Back Against the ACLU

Posted on July 02, 2009
Liberty Counsel: "Liberty Counsel filed a motion to intervene on behalf of Christian Educators Association International (CEAI) in a lawsuit filed earlier this year by the ACLU against the Santa Rosa County School District . . . "

Alaska Voters and Candidate Challenge Process for Selecting State Judges

Posted on July 02, 2009
"Two Alaska voters and one past judicial candidate filed suit today in federal court to stop the current plan for selecting state judges in Alaska."

Americans United Covers its Tracks After Complaint Filed with the IRS

Posted on July 01, 2009
Liberty Counsel: "Americans United for Separation of Church and State (?AU?) has quickly tried to cover its tracks after Liberty Counsel filed a complaint against the organization on behalf of Liberty University with the IRS. Liberty Counsel alleged that for several years AU has almost exclusively filed complaints with the IRS against churches whose pastors lean toward Republican rather than Democratic candidates...

?Maine HRC rules for transgender 5th grader in school bathroom case?

Posted on July 01, 2009
"The Maine Human Rights Commission ruled Monday that the Orono School Department discriminated against a transgender child by denying her access to the girls bathroom."

After Outcry, China Delays Requirement for Web-Filtering Software

Posted on July 01, 2009
NY Times: "Facing strong resistance at home and abroad, China on Tuesday delayed enforcement of a new rule requiring manufacturers to install Internet filtering software on all new computers . . . "

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