Religion & Law

Judge hears suit over Tangipahoa?s school board prayer policy

Posted on May 20, 2009
WWLTV (AP): "In court papers, Johnson said a U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the Nebraska Legislature's prayer policy established that 'prayers offered at the start of government meetings are an essential part of American culture and in no way a violation of the Constitution...

Amway, co founder, Rich DeVos: Don?t mess with marriage, its sacred

Posted on May 20, 2009
Grand Rapids News includes this interview with Rich DeVos that question his involvement in the defense of marriage and efforts by proponents of same sex "marriage" to intimidate him. This article also appears in the same publication: Rich DeVos' comments about gay marriage prove a magnet for controversy

UK: ?Man convicted for trying to stop gay sex in public?

Posted on May 20, 2009
The Christian Institute: "Deputy Chief Constable Michael Cunningham drafted guidance last year telling officers to turn a blind eye to people using public places for sex. Officers should balance the law with the 'human rights of those people who frequent open spaces for the purposes of having sexual relationships with other like-minded people', the guidance said...

NC: Four Shot At Charlotte Strip Club; Patron Charged

Posted on May 20, 2009
WSOCTV.com: "A fight at a south Charlotte strip club led to a shootout in the parking lot early Wednesday. Police said a pair of men began fighting inside the Carousel Club at about 3 a.m."

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?Oregon Senate passes sex-education bill?

Posted on May 20, 2009
The Oregonian: "House Bill 2509 passed along party lines by a vote of 20-9 with all opposition from Republicans. The bill requires all public elementary and secondary schools to provide 'age-appropriate human sexuality education" as an "integral part of the health education curriculum...

Louisiana: American Civil Liberties Union takes up ministers? cause

Posted on May 20, 2009
TheAdvertiser.com: "An incident at the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival in which ministers were prohibited from distributing religious literature has caught the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union."

?Supreme stats: 106 white males among 110 justices?

Posted on May 20, 2009
AP: "There has never been a Hispanic, Asian-American or Native American justice. Ginsburg is the only female justice at the moment and most of the candidates whom Obama is considering are women."

?FCC v. Fox Television Stations, Part IV: The FCC?s new standards in action?

Posted on May 20, 2009
Sasha Volokh writes at the Volokh Conspiracy: "This is part of a series of posts discussing the background of the Supreme Court's 'fleeting expletives' case from last week, FCC v. Fox Television Stations. Click here to see the whole string of posts, including this one, on a single page, in chronological order...

New Hampshire lawmakers reject marriage redefinition bill

Posted on May 20, 2009
"The House vote against the governor's amendment means the bill will be sent to a committee that will try to resolve the differences between the two chambers. It remains unclear how the governor would respond to any changes to his wording."

Ed Gillespie: Judging Obama?s Nominee

Posted on May 20, 2009
"Republicans cannot accept the premise that it's okay for liberals to vote against Supreme Court nominees who believe in a strict constructionist judicial philosophy but not okay for conservatives to vote against those who embrace empathetic activism on the bench...

La. nurse wins state Supreme Court battle in Plan B conscience case

Posted on May 20, 2009
LifeNews: Pro-life medical personnel shouldn't be penalized for their beliefs,? ADF-allied attorney Brian Arabie of Lake Charles, told LifeNews.com. ?The hospital acted unlawfully when it refused to make a reasonable accommodation for Ms. Lemly and instead terminated her full-time position...

Poll says Americans moving rightward on social issues

Posted on May 20, 2009
APB: "A week after releasing a poll for the first time showing a majority of Americans describe themselves as pro-life, the Gallup Organization reported new numbers showing public opinion moving to the right on a number of other social issues as well...

?Calif. wants US Supreme Court OK of video game ban?

Posted on May 20, 2009
AP: "California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to reinstate a state law banning the sale or rental of violent video games to minors."

Souter: Republic is Lost Unless Civic Education Improves

Posted on May 20, 2009
The Blog of the Legal Times: "The republic, Souter said, 'can be lost, it is being lost, it is lost, if it is not understood.' He cited surveys showing large majorities of the public cannot name the three branches of government, something he said would have been unheard of when he was growing up in rural Weare, N...

Polls: Pennsylvanians opposed to marriage redefinition

Posted on May 19, 2009
Philadelphia Daily News: "The most recent public-opinion survey, from Muhlenberg College and the Allentown Morning Call, published earlier this month, showed that backing for gay marriage in the Keystone State increased from a paltry 35 percent in 2004 to 42 percent...

Minn. boy resisting chemo misses court hearing

Posted on May 19, 2009
AP: "A 13-year-old Minnesota boy resisting chemotherapy for cancer has missed a court hearing on his welfare, and his father says the whereabouts of the boy and his mother are unknown."

Doctors Versus Midwives: The Birth Wars Rage On

Posted on May 19, 2009
TIME: "Modern medicine can eliminate a lot of the risk, but in doing so, it can also turn what could be a joyous experience for the mother into the equivalent of an all-day appendectomy. It's this fact that has always been responsible for the fault line between obstetricians ? who are trained to view birth as a medical procedure ? and midwives, who see it as that but as something less clinical too...

Obama?s refusal to appeal could undermine ?Don?t Ask, Don?t Tell?

Posted on May 19, 2009
"The Obama administration has decided to accept an appeals-court ruling that could undermine the military's ban on service members found to be gay."

?Blue collar U.S. males lose more ground?

Posted on May 19, 2009
Reuters: "The reasons are clear: male-heavy sectors such as construction and manufacturing have been hard hit. But the implications may be dire for the broader economy and hamper the recovery as families that once had male breadwinners struggle . . . One study by Julia Isaacs of the Brookings Institution think-tank found median U...

Question on family rights and international law

Posted on May 19, 2009
David Kopel has this post at the Volokh Conspiracy discussing the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Global Opponents of Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia Gather for International Symposium

Posted on May 19, 2009
LifeSiteNews: "The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, International, (EPC), has announced the organization's second global symposium on euthanasia and assisted suicide. Entitled "Never Again," the symposium is scheduled for May 29 and 30, 2009. The location is the National Conference Center, Lansdowne, VA...

New Pro-Life Video Features Latest 4-D Ultrasound ?Window to the Womb?

Posted on May 19, 2009
LifeNews: "With new national polls showing a shift in the public opinion on abortion towards the pro-life perspective, ultrasound technology is getting some of the credit for the new attitude. Shari Richard, whose cutting edge Window to the Womb video has been seen by millions, has released a new version...

Pennsylvania marriage amendment to be introduced

Posted on May 19, 2009
Philadelphia Inquirer: "Republican Sen. John Eichelberger said he would hold a news conference today in Hollidaysburg to announce the bill's introduction." Press release: Senator Eichelberger to Introduce Marriage Amendment DomaWatch: Pennsylvania

?Exemption for Religious Foes Of Gay Marriage Debated?

Posted on May 19, 2009
Washington Post: "Robin Wilson, a law professor at Washington and Lee University who has been pushing for religious exemptions in states where legalizing same-sex marriage is under consideration, said she agrees with Focus on the Family that there is risk for commercial enterprises and also for individuals 'in the stream of commerce' of same-sex weddings, such as wedding advisers, caterers and photographers, who may be compelled to provide services even though it would violate an individual's deeply held religious beliefs...

PBS Weighs Separation Of Church & Stations

Posted on May 19, 2009
aul Farhi writes at the Washington Post: "The Public Broadcasting Service's board is to vote next month on a committee's recommendation to strip the affiliation of any station that carries 'sectarian' content."

Thomas Sowell: Photographic Fraud

Posted on May 19, 2009
Thomas Sowell writes at Townhall: "The media have an obvious vested interest in constantly urging that cameras be allowed in more places where governmental decisions are being made, including the Supreme Court of the United States. Like so many things that are said to be good for the public, this is something that would be good only for its advocates-- and harmful to the process of making decisions in the public interest, as distinguished from providing a forum for grandstanding...

Varieties of New Legal Realism: Can a New World Order Prompt a New Legal Theory?

Posted on May 19, 2009
Cornell Law Review: "Given current events, this article identifies and critiques an emerging body of legal theory that has dubbed itself 'new legal realism.' Over 275 papers have already used this moniker. This article surveys and analyzes this scholarship, arguing that 'new legal realism' is responding to a shared concept of a 'new formalism' - neoclassical law and economics...

Oklahoma Governor Signs 10 Commandments Bill

Posted on May 19, 2009
Religion Clause Blog: "The Tulsa World reports that Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry on Monday signed House Bill 1330 [Word .doc] that authorizes placement of a Ten Commandments monument on the State Capitol grounds."

23% of Democrats think Oprah would be good addition to Supreme Court

Posted on May 19, 2009
45. Do you think Oprah Winfrey would make a good Supreme Court Justice, or not? Democrats 23% (yes) 71 (no) 6 (don't know) Republicans 10% (yes) 87 (no) 3 (don't know) Independents 13% (yes) 77 (no) 9 (don't know)

Conyers: Judiciary has enough votes to overturn DOMA

Posted on May 19, 2009
"Well in my committee, yes, but in the House and Senate, that's a different question," Conyers told the Michigan Messenger in a weekend interview published Tuesday about the prospects for a repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

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