Religion & Law

Study of unchurched shows 20-somethings more spiritually open than those 30 & up

Posted on March 26, 2009
Baptist Press: "Despite recent media reports that young adults are running from churches in droves, the beliefs of many younger unchurched people are more connected to historic Christian beliefs than many suspected."

Joplin, MO: Court decision clears way for local sexually oriented business laws

Posted on March 26, 2009
The Joplin Globe: "Local opponents of sexually oriented businesses said Wednesday that an appellate-court decision upholding county regulation of such operations should remove any obstacles for new rules by Jasper County and the state . . . "

Hawaii Senate fails to bring vote on civil unions

Posted on March 26, 2009
AP: "The Hawaii Senate rejected an effort Wednesday to force a vote on same-sex civil unions, essentially killing the measure, even though a majority had indicated it supports the unions."

3 Top Justice Department Nominees Move Forward

Posted on March 26, 2009
David Ingram writes at the Legal Times: "The Senate Judiciary Committee this morning endorsed three of President Barack Obama's nominees for top positions at the Justice Department, and senators signaled they're moving closer to agreement on expansive changes to the nation's patent system...

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NH House approves bill to redefine marriage, sends bill to Sen.

Posted on March 26, 2009
"The bill, which passed the House 186-179, next goes to the Senate, where its future is uncertain. Democratic Gov. John Lynch opposes gay marriage but has not said specifically that he would veto it . . . "

Human Rights Council adopts ?defamation of religions? resolution ignoring a petition by 180 NGOs from 50 countries against it

Posted on March 26, 2009
?Human rights protect people, not ideas,? said L. Bennett Graham, Becket Fund representative to the UN presently in Geneva. ?The passage of this resolution by the Human Rights Council is a disaster for people of all faiths.?

Taking on Goliath: 20-Year-Old Lila Rose Squares up against Planned Parenthood

Posted on March 26, 2009
Deal W. Hudson writes at LifeSiteNews: "If you think the pro-life movement has run out of energy and new ideas, you should meet Lila Rose. You may not know her name, but you very likely have seen the media coverage of her various sting operations at Planned Parenthood clinics around the country...

Phoenix Catholic Bishop to Notre Dame President: Invite to Obama ?undercuts Church?s Proclamation of the Gospel of Life?

Posted on March 26, 2009
Bishop Thomas Olmsted of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix has sent this email/letter to the President of Notre Dame.

School rules out religion: Atlanta Public Schools challenged after blocking club

Posted on March 26, 2009
?Christian student groups shouldn?t be discriminated against for their beliefs,? said ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman. ?The First Amendment and federal law prohibit such actions on the basis of religion, and this has been established by decades of court precedent...

Verdict in George Tiller Late-Term Abortion Trial Expected Friday, Witnesses Done

Posted on March 26, 2009
LifeNews: "Attorneys for late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller finished questioning witnesses on Thursday as both sides prepare to present their closing arguments tomorrow. The case involves 19 charges against Tiller for allegedly violating the state's laws regulating law-term abortions...

?Bisexual? teacher invites students to same-sex ceremony

Posted on March 26, 2009
One News Now: "A self-proclaimed bisexual male teacher in New York has invited his seventh-grade students and their parents to witness his commitment ceremony to another man."

U.N. urged to reject bar on defamation of religion

Posted on March 26, 2009
Reuters: "Some 200 secular, religious and media groups from around the world on Wednesday urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to reject a call from Islamic countries for a global fight against 'defamation of religion.' . . . Such a resolution, the statement said, 'may be used in certain countries to silence and intimidate human rights activists, religious dissenters and other independent voices,' and to restrict freedom of religion and of speech ...

FEMA denies debris clean-up to Ark. church that aided FEMA, storm victims

Posted on March 26, 2009
Alliance Defense Fund attorneys sent a letter to FEMA officials on behalf of the church Wednesday.

ACLU Sues Wyoming County D.A. For Threatening Teenage Girls With Child Pornography Charges Over Sexting

Posted on March 26, 2009
The ACLU of Pennsylvania has issued this press release and link to the complaint in connection with its suit against the Wyoming County DA. It begins: "The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit today against the Wyoming County district attorney for threatening three high school girls with child pornography charges over digital photos in which they appear topless or in their underwear...

Holder Frames Future at Justice With Portraits From the Past

Posted on March 26, 2009
FoxNews: "There are roughly 80 portraits hanging in the halls and offices of the Justice Department -- one for every attorney general dating back to George Washington's administration. Upon taking office, Holder was able to pick any four to hang in his conference room, which hosts administration officials, foreign dignitaries and anyone else who has business with the nation's top cop...

Americans U. for Separation of Church and State: ?Controversy Over College Cash: Another Reminder That Controls Follow Funds?

Posted on March 26, 2009
Regarding the recent 9th Circuit ruling in Christian Legal Society v. Kane, Rob Boston writing at Americans United for Separation of Church and State concludes: "This should be a lesson to the Religious Right about the dangers of unintended consequences, as well as a reminder ? as if another one were needed ? that access to public funds brings imposition of significant regulations too...

NY Court Says Contract To Sell Church Land Was Valid Without Court Approval

Posted on March 26, 2009
Religion Clause Blog: "In Hermandad Y Asociados, Inc. v Movimiento Misionero Mundial, Inc., (NY Sup. Ct., March 6, 2009), a New York state trial court interpreted Sec. 12 of the New York Religious Corporations Law. The section requires court approval for the sale, mortgage or long-term lease of church property...

Would-Be Parents Find Surrogate Agency Closed

Posted on March 26, 2009
NY Times: "Today, SurroGenesis? main office, in Modesto, Calif., is closed. So is an escrow company, Michael Charles Independent Financial Holding Group, that was supposed to be safeguarding the clients? money. It turns out that many of the SurroGenesis locations were post office boxes ...

WV: Group Pushing for Marriage Vote

Posted on March 26, 2009
WDTV.com: "The Family Policy Council of West Virginia is pushing for a popular vote to define marriage in West Virginia. Wednesday officials with that organization held a meeting to encourage discussion and support. Jeremiah Dys is part of the Family Policy Council, he contends that as the laws read now, judges could potentially rule that marriage is something other than a union of a man and woman...

NJ: ?A call for reform of public education: Black Ministers Council blasts tenure rules?

Posted on March 26, 2009
NJ Star-Ledger: "The state's public education system covers up failure, deprives students of a quality education and fosters a false sense of high achievement, the head of New Jersey's Black Ministers Council said yesterday. 'New Jersey spends more on education than any other state in the nation and we are getting so little in return for the money we are spending,' said the Rev...

Tajikistan criticised over restrictive religion law

Posted on March 26, 2009
Reuters: "Tajikistan, a Muslim nation bordering Afghanistan, introduced a new religion law on Thursday which the United States has criticised as highly restrictive. The law empowers the government to impose stricter control of religious groups in the former Soviet republic which tolerates only the state-approved version of Islam...

The Press as an Interest Group: Mainstream Media in the United States Supreme Court

Posted on March 26, 2009
SSRN: "There can be little doubt that the institutional press is an interest group to be reckoned with in the Supreme Court, its aversion to such a designation notwithstanding. Over the past century, and especially since 1964, the press has secured for itself the greatest legal protection available anywhere in the world...

NH House to vote on marriage redefinition

Posted on March 26, 2009
Boston Globe (AP): "The House is expected to vote today whether to make New Hampshire the third state allowing gays to marry."

When is a prayer not a prayer

Posted on March 26, 2009
The Enquirer-Journal (password required): "The county hired, at no cost, a conservative organization called the Alliance Defense Fund, to defend against the lawsuit after being contacted by the fund. ..."

NYC changes birth certificate policy for lesbians

Posted on March 26, 2009
Staten Island Advance: "Gay marriage has not been legalized in New York, and the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative legal organization, has challenged Paterson's move to extend spousal rights to gay couples wed elsewhere. The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based alliance says only the Legislature, not the governor, has authority to recognize out-of-state gay marriages...

Eligibility lawyer says Homeland Security shadowing him

Posted on March 26, 2009
WorldNetDaily: A lawyer spearheading the effort in Washington state to bring light to the issue of Barack Obama's eligibility to be president says he was shadowed all day today by officers with the federal Department of Homeland Security, the Snohomish County sheriff's office and the Everitt city police department ...

?Fighting to Keep the Jihad in Prisons?

Posted on March 26, 2009
Robert Spencer writing at Front Page Magazine: Front Page Magazine: "An unlikely alliance of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian lawyers? group that usually fiercely opposes the ACLU, along with several other groups, is contesting a proposed Bureau of Prisons rule that prohibits ?materials that could incite, promote, or otherwise suggest the commission of violence or criminal activity? from being placed in prison chapel libraries...

Conn. Church fights to keep privately-owned post office

Posted on March 26, 2009
OneNewsNow: "Another court challenge against a privately-owned post office in Manchester, Connecticut, has been heard . . . ADF attorney Jeff Shafer explains the situation. "This business had been humming along nicely. There were some plaintiffs, however, who filed a lawsuit against the Postal Service because there was religious speech to be found on the church's contract postal unit property -- not surprisingly so," he notes...

Just Some Thoughts on the Day of Truth

Posted on March 26, 2009
A Living Commentary: "I?ve been working this month at Exodus in preparation for the Day of Truth on April 20th. For those who may not know about this event, it was established by the Alliance Defense Fund in order to counter the homosexual agenda in schools and present an alternative viewpoint from a Christian perspective...

ACLU Bullies Disabled Children

Posted on March 26, 2009
The Underground Conservative: "The Alliance Defense Fund via Stop The ACLU tells us that disabled children will not be allowed to attend private schools through a special voucher program."

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