Religion & Law

The marriage battle continues

Posted on June 05, 2009
CBB Christian Community: "Fortunately, our friends at the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), who have been working for more than 10 years to defend traditional marriage in our courts, have filed paperwork to enter the case. The ADF attorneys were instrumental in defending Prop 8 before the California Supreme Court, so if they become party to its defense in federal court, we can be encouraged that the defense of marriage is in good hands...

World Magazine: ?Prop Blast?

Posted on June 05, 2009
WORLD Magazine--The Buzz: "The decision [on Proposition 8] was unsurprising?Jim Campbell, litigation counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, said the court's ruling merely went with precedent?so same-sex marriage advocates were prepared to respond to defeat...

?Judge refuses dismissal in anti-abortion protest suit?

Posted on June 05, 2009
Robert Lang reports at WBAL: "A federal judge has refused to dismiss most of a lawsuit filed by three women who were part of an anti-abortion protest last summer in Harford County . . . The women are represented by the Alliance Defense Fund. No trial date has been set...

Maryland judge rules for pro-life advocates shackled, strip-searched by police

Posted on June 05, 2009
LifeNews reports: "The decision is good news to ADF Litigation Counsel Daniel Blomberg. 'Pro-life advocates obviously shouldn't be jailed, shackled, and strip-searched for expressing their beliefs,' he told LifeNews.com. 'The judge?s refusal to dismiss this lawsuit is a positive development for our clients, who deserve justice after what they endured...

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Pro-Life Advocates head to Amsterdam in August for World Congress of Families

Posted on June 05, 2009
Austin Ruse reports at LifeNews: The roster for Amsterdam will include a who?s who of pro-life and pro-family leaders, including Wanda Franz of National Right to Life, Gwen Landolt of Real Women of Canada, Brent Bozell of the Media Research Center, Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention, Janice Crouse of Concerned Women for America, and Benjamin Bull of the Alliance Defense Fund...

A setback for sharia-compliant finance in America

Posted on June 05, 2009
Frank J. Gaffney Jr. and David Yerushalmi write at National Review Online: "Eastern District of Michigan judge Lawrence P. Zatkoff handed down the decision, in a case involving an alleged violation of the constitutional separation of church and state...

Kevin Theriot on Michael Medved Show to discuss two religious freedom cases

Posted on June 05, 2009
ADF attorney Kevin Theriot appeared on the Michael Medved Show to discuss two cases that lead Medved to ask whether Americans any longer have the right "to worship God as [they] see fit." The first is the San Diego County home bible study case (see the ADF press release)...

ADF: WV high court renders moms, dads unimportant in adoption cases

Posted on June 05, 2009
?The evidence presented to the court showed that placing this child with a married mother and father was best for her,? said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Byron Babione. ?The court disregarded this evidence in its decision, choosing instead to override a lower court?s decision that was fully within the bounds of the law...

Sotomayor?s public cheerleading for President Obama

Posted on June 05, 2009
Ed Whelan writing at National Review Online's Bench Memos: "Would anyone imagine that any sitting federal judge?much less someone who has since been nominated to the Supreme Court?could appropriately have made such comments?"

UCLA professor prohibits graduate from saying ?Jesus?

Posted on June 05, 2009
Christian Newswire: "A professor at the government-funded University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) has prohibited a graduating student from saying 'I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,' in her own graduation speech."

UK: Gov?t investigation of home schooling to be published next week

Posted on June 05, 2009
The Guardian's Mortarboard blog reports: "Badman, who also chaired the Baby P case review, is due to publish his home education review next week, and unfortunately for home educators, their fears appear to have been justified. The review could recommend compulsory registration of home educators and set minimum standards of education...

Faith-Based Council has first meeting, outlines mission

Posted on June 05, 2009
William Wan reports at the Washington Post's "On Faith" blog: "Over the course of an hour, the 25-member advisory council outlined its broad mission--to find ways faith groups and government can work together on issues ranging from climate change to fatherless families to abortion rates--and a timeline to make recommendations for Obama to address those problems...

Justice Department launches probe in abortion doctor killing

Posted on June 05, 2009
CNSNews reports: "The department's civil rights division will probe possible federal crimes in connection with Dr. Tiller's slaying at his church last Sunday in Wichita."

UK Poll: Christians risk rejection and discrimination for their faith

Posted on June 04, 2009
Jonathan Wynne-Jones reports in the Telegraph: "The first poll of Britain's churchgoers, carried out for The Sunday Telegraph, found that thousands of them believe they are being turned down for promotion because of their faith. One in five said that they had faced opposition at work because of their beliefs...

CA: Lodi city council will wait for entire body to vote on invocations

Posted on June 04, 2009
Maggie Creamer reports in the Lodi News-Sentinel: "Mayor Larry Hansen said Wednesday night that the council wants to make a decision when all of the council members are present, and they want the opportunity to hear from the public."

ADF: San Diego County apologizes for ordering stop to home Bible study

Posted on June 04, 2009
?The county has clearly responded in the right way to this incident so far, demonstrating a desire to protect the constitutional rights of this family,? said ADF Senior Counsel Joe Infranco. ?We look forward to a positive outcome from its internal policy review...

Kentucky: Expanded gambling could soon be on legislative agenda

Posted on June 04, 2009
Gregory A. Hall reports in the Courier-Journal: "Gov. Steve Beshear yesterday did not include a proposal to expand gambling in the state in his call for a special legislative session, but he said the issue could be added to the agenda in the next several days...

More higher-income families are home schooling their children

Posted on June 04, 2009
Greg Toppo writes in USA Today: "Parents who home-school children increasingly are white, wealthy and well-educated ? and their numbers have nearly doubled in a decade, a new federal government report says."

Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearing on Uniting American Families Act

Posted on June 04, 2009
Mallory Simon reports at CNN: "The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the bill for the first time Wednesday, after 10 previous attempts to have hearings on the Uniting American Families Act. The bill has 102 co-sponsors in the House and 17 co-sponsors in the Senate, including Judiciary Chairman Sen...

Maryland: Same-sex ?marriage? advocates await AG?s opinion on out-of-state unions

Posted on June 04, 2009
Margie Hyslop reports in the Gazette: "It is likely to be late June before Maryland Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. learns [from the Maryland Attorney General] whether same-sex couples who marry in states where it is legal will have their unions recognized in Maryland...

La. Senate panel ?takes sides? on interstate same-sex birth certificate issue

Posted on June 04, 2009
Associated Press: "A Senate panel approved a bill taking sides in a pending federal court case, voting that Louisiana should not be forced to provide a birth certificate listing a same-sex couple from another state as a child's parents."

Arizona lawmakers target partner benefits

Posted on June 04, 2009
Associated Press: "Arizona state workers who just won health benefits for their domestic partners will lose them under a proposed budget lawmakers are considering."

New York Catholic bishops strongly oppose legalized same-sex ?marriage?

Posted on June 04, 2009
Catholic News Agency: "'We face today the prospect of a law in New York which would radically change the timeless institution of marriage. As pastors of citizens from every corner of our great state, we stand unified in our strong opposition to such a drastic measure,' the bishops said, urging Catholics to contact their senators...

Evangelical leaders pessimistic about future of Christianity in America

Posted on June 04, 2009
Michelle A Vu reports in the Christian Post: "Most of the respondents said they believed the number of Christians in the US would stay the same at best, but will more likely decline. However, they expressed hope for a national spiritual awakening spurred by the current economic difficulties and political uncertainties...

Church of Scotland minister condemns euthanasia bill

Posted on June 04, 2009
Christian Today: "Rev Ian Galloway, Convenor of the Kirk?s Church and Society Council, stated it would be wrong for laws made to protect the most at risk from harm and exploitation to be abolished . . . The tabled amendment states that a person will not be prosecuted if they enable or aid a terminally-ill patient bent on committing suicide go to another country where euthanasia is legal...

WA: ?Sexpresso? coffee stands prompt change in Yakima?s indecent exposure ordinance

Posted on June 04, 2009
Chris Bristol reports in the Yakima Herald-Republic: "Responding to the proliferation of sexpresso coffee stands, the Yakima City Council approved minor changes to the city's indecent exposure ordinance Tuesday night. The changes prohibit see-through apparel and G-strings in public...

Episcopal claim on property of breakaway parish solved via mediation

Posted on June 04, 2009
Mark Barna reports in the Colorado Springs Gazette: "In a marathon mediation session, the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado agreed to drop its lawsuit against 18 Anglican parish members being sued for damages. Also several motions, including an appeal of the March 24 court decision upholding the diocese's ownership of the Tejon Street church property, were quashed...

Obama in Cairo: Islam ?paved the way? for European culture

Posted on June 04, 2009
"Islam . . . carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe's Renaissance and Enlightenment."

Seesawing same-sex marriage

Posted on June 04, 2009
W. James Antle, III writing at The American Spectator: "At the state level, the results are starting to look less like bandwagon or backlash than whiplash. California's voters have twice defied both their legislature and the state supreme court to vote against same-sex marriage...

Erik Stanley debates the ?hate crimes? bill

Posted on June 04, 2009
ADF attorney Erik Stanley took part in a publicsquare.net podcast debate with Frederick M. Lawrence on the "hate crimes" bill pending in Congress.

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