Religion & Law

Dems sense opportunity on same-sex ?marriage?

Posted on May 04, 2009
Associated Press: "Gay marriage legalization in several states and the public's growing acceptance of same-sex unions have Democrats sensing political opportunity and some Republicans re-evaluating their party's hard-line opposition to an issue that long has rallied its base...

UK: City Council chiefs admit errors in homosexual adoption

Posted on May 04, 2009
The Edinburgh Evening News reports: "City council chiefs have admitted mistakes were made in the way they dealt with the grandparents of two children given to a gay couple for adoption."

Christian Attorneys Urge Senate to Vote Against ?Hate Crimes? Bill

Posted on May 04, 2009
Christian Post: "Attorneys at a Christian legal group are urging the U.S. Senate not to pass the expanded 'Hate Crimes' bill, which the House this week voted 249-175 in favor of. The attorneys at the Alliance Defense Fund insist that the bill, H.R. 1913, could severely impede Americans? constitutional rights to freedom of religion and freedom of expression while creating additional legal protections for those engaged in homosexual behavior that are not available to everyone else...

People?s veto effort likely in wake of same-sex ?marriage? debate

Posted on May 04, 2009
Susan Cover reports in the Kennebec Journal: "Michael Heath of the Maine Family Policy Council announced this week he will work to gather the signatures necessary for a people's veto of the gay-marriage bill. A few things need to happen first, but during Senate debate Thursday, many senators said they felt it was inevitable that the question would end up before voters...

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The Case Against Sotomayor

Posted on May 04, 2009
Jeffrey Rosen writes at the New Republic: The most consistent concern was that Sotomayor, although an able lawyer, was "not that smart and kind of a bully on the bench," as one former Second Circuit clerk for another judge put it. "She has an inflated opinion of herself, and is domineering during oral arguments, but her questions aren't penetrating and don't get to the heart of the issue...

ADF President Alan Sears on 710 KNUS Newstalk: ACLU vs. America

Posted on May 04, 2009
ADF President and General Counsel Alan Sears appeared on 710 KNUS Newstalk with John Andrews to discuss his book co-authored with Craig Osten titled: The ACLU vs. America: Exposing the Agenda to Redefine Moral Values. The mp3 runs just under 18 minutes.

ADF-allied attorney available to media following hearing in Mass. ?buffer zone? case

Posted on May 04, 2009
ADF-allied attorney Michael DePrimo will be available for media interviews immediately following oral argument Tuesday before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit in McCullen v. Coakley. DePrimo will be arguing on behalf of several pro-life advocates against a Massachusetts law that creates a 35-foot ?buffer zone? restricting pro-life advocates from talking with people entering abortion clinics.

California: School website promotes homosexual agenda

Posted on May 04, 2009
One News Now: "California school district is coming under fire for a homosexual website being funded with taxpayer dollars."

5th Circuit: Prison?s Rules On Buddhist Services May Violate RLUIPA

Posted on May 04, 2009
Religion Clause Blog: "In Newby v. Quarterman, (5th Cir., April 30, 2009), the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Buddhist inmate's challenge to Texas prison rules that require religious services in his prison unit to be conducted by either a chaplain or an approved religious volunteer...

Australia: Sex book aimed at toddler teachers about lesbian moms

Posted on May 04, 2009
The Daily Telegraph: "A BOOK which teaches children about lesbian mums getting pregnant using sperm donors is being pitched at kids as young as two. The controversial publication, Where Did I Really Come From?, also features a drawing of two gay men holding a baby in a chapter about surrogacy...

Irate Pig Farmers Clash With Police in Egypt

Posted on May 04, 2009
CNSNews: "Egyptian police and armored cars charged into a crowd of a 1,000 irate pig farmers armed with stones and bottles, leaving 12 people injured as residents of a Cairo slum resisted government efforts to slaughter the nation's pigs to guard against swine flu...

Obama Will Sign Proclamation, But Not Host Ceremony, On National Day of Prayer

Posted on May 04, 2009
"At yesterday's White House Press Briefing . . . Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced that on Thursday, May 7, the President will sign a Proclamation recognizing the day as National Day of Prayer. "

Feds Will Spend $400,000 to Study Drinking and Sex Habits of Homosexuals in Argentina

Posted on May 04, 2009
CNSNews: "The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is funding a study that seeks to discover a link between drinking and having sex among homosexuals in Argentina."

Teacher?s Criticism of Creationism Found Violative of Establishment Clause

Posted on May 04, 2009
Religion Clause Blog: "In C.F. v. Capistrano Unified School District, (CD CA, May 1, 2009), a high school student and his parents brought suit against high school history teacher James Corbett alleging that Corbett violated the Establishment Clause by making repeated comments in class hostile to religion in general and Christianity in particular...

Children who view adult-targeted TV may become sexually active earlier in life

Posted on May 04, 2009
Erekalert.org: "Early onset of sexual activity among teens may relate to the amount of adult content children were exposed to during their childhood, according to a new study released by Children's Hospital Boston."

Controversy Continues Over UNLV?s Proposed Policy On Bias Incidents

Posted on May 04, 2009
Religion Clause Blog: "After the ACLU of Nevada criticized the draft as an unconstitutional infringement on free speech, Nevada's chancellor of public higher education called for the policy to be rewritten."

Purse strings to Planned Parenthood - snip, snip

Posted on May 04, 2009
OneNewsNow: "Steve Aden, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), summarizes the supervisors' actions. 'Orange County has designated its portion of the funds from the national lawsuit against tobacco companies to pay for certain health-related expenses,' say the attorney, 'but has made it clear in this new policy that those [expenses] will not include providing abortions or referring for abortions...

Court to determine if Montanans have a ?right? to euthanasia

Posted on May 04, 2009
Pete Winn reports at CNSNews: "Another ?friend-of-the-court? brief has been filed by the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative legal group, on behalf of the Catholic Medical Association, the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Family Research Council and Montana physicians...

The battle for marriage continues

Posted on May 04, 2009
Harry R. Jackson, Jr. writing at Townhall: "First, we must develop a legal strategy to keep this bad law from being set into motion. Many groups are qualified to deal with this including the Alliance Defense Fund, American Center for Law and Justice, and Liberty Counsel...

High court throws out ruling on Janet Jackson

Posted on May 04, 2009
"The high court on Monday directed the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia to consider reinstating the $550,000 fine that the Federal Communications Commission imposed on CBS over Jackson's breast-baring performance at the 2004 Super Bowl...

Jan LaRue: Obama?s Supreme Court Renovation Begins

Posted on May 04, 2009
Jan LaRue writes at the American Thinker: "Retiring Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter has handed President Barack Obama his first chance to nominate a judge to the nation's highest court. Sand-blasting 'Equal Justice Under Law' from the Courthouse should commence if the Senate confirms a nominee who matches Obama's criteria for judges...

Sessions to take over top GOP slot on Judiciary

Posted on May 04, 2009
"Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) will take over the ranking member position on the Senate Judiciary Committee after striking a deal with his more senior colleagues over the weekend, sources confirm to The Hill."

Slovak Republic Faces Free Speech Lawsuit After Police Shut Down Pro-Life Rally

Posted on May 04, 2009
LifeNews: "The Slovak Republic, an eastern European nation, faces a free speech lawsuit after police there reportedly shut down a pro-life rally. The Centre for Bio-ethical Reform Europe filed suit on Thursday with the help of attorneys from the Alliance Defense Fund...

Kentucky: Economist Says School Choice is Best Path for Education

Posted on May 04, 2009
Opposing Views: "A leading University of Kentucky economist says empowering parents through school choice will prove more effective in reforming public education than the state?s top-down, one-size-fits-all policies. In researching his new report, 'Fears versus Facts about School Choice,' John Garen, Ph...

Rutherford Institute Files Free Speech Lawsuit: Valedictorian Ordered To Strip References To God From Speech, Prevented From Participating In Graduation

Posted on May 04, 2009
The Rutherford Institute: "Attorneys for The Rutherford Institute have filed a free speech lawsuit in the Montana Thirteenth Judicial District Court on behalf of a high school valedictorian who was forbidden from making any remarks at all in her school's graduation ceremony after she refused to strip references to God and Christ from her valedictory speech...

Randall Terry to ask Cardinal George to retract Notre Dame statement

Posted on May 04, 2009
Christian Newswire: "On Tuesday morning, May 5, at 11 am Randall Terry will hold a press conference at the Chicago Archdiocesan Office located at 835 North Rush Street . . . Terry also states: 'Cardinal George's original statement that Notre Dame should not 'dis-invite the President' crippled our efforts from the beginning...

Washington Referendum 71 filed to overturn domestic partnerships

Posted on May 04, 2009
"Referendum 71 was filed [on] Monday [by] Larry Stickney, president of the Washington Values Alliance. Supporters need to get more than 120,500 valid voter signatures by July 25 in order to qualify for the Nov. 3 ballot."

NY: Arrest Made in Strip Club Shooting

Posted on May 04, 2009
Long Island Press: "A North Amityville man was arrested on Saturday, May 2, for shooting and seriously injuring a man outside Stone Hedge, a strip club in West Babylon, on April 17, Suffolk Police say."

Mike Johnson: Family breakdown is cause for alarm

Posted on May 04, 2009
Jeremy Dys has this post at the Family Voice, the Blog of the Family Policy Council of West Virginia. Dys quotes ADF attorney Mike Johnson on the importance of marriage to culture.

Study: High School Teachers Influence Students? Evolution, Creationist Views

Posted on May 04, 2009
Christian Post: "What college students learned from their biology teachers in high school influences whether they accept evolution or creationist views, according to a recent study by professors at the University of Minnesota."

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