Religion & Law

Mississippi: Desoto Santa, religious display ban draws fire

Posted on January 19, 2011
Desoto Times: "A ban of Santa Claus and religious displays at Christmas by ICS Head Start officials drew a swift rebuke from DeSoto County Supervisors Tuesday."

Strasbourg City Council unanimously approves two new mosques

Posted on January 19, 2011
ABNA: "With French Muslims praying in the streets and in basements around the country, and with the far-right in France is targeting mosques as a treat to French identity, the Strasbourg city council unanimously approved Monday the creation of two new mosques in the city, including one with a minaret, according to the vice-mayor in charge of religious affairs, Oliver Bitz...

Abortion practitioner killed seven babies with scissors

Posted on January 19, 2011
". . . During a press conference, Smith said Gosnell 'induced labor, forced the live birth of viable babies in the sixth, seventh, eighth month of pregnancy and then killed those babies by cutting into the back of the neck with scissors and severing their spinal cord...

A false truce in Obama?s war on business

Posted on January 19, 2011
Heritage Foundation / The Foundry: "[T]he Obama Administration is desperate to convince the public that their war on business is over. Hence President Barack Obama's Wall Street Journal op-ed yesterday announcing 'a government-wide review of the rules already on the books to remove outdated regulations that stifle job creation and make our economy less competitive...

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Group says survey confirms Myanmar rights abuses

Posted on January 19, 2011
Associated Press: "A human rights group says a survey it conducted reveals flagrant and widespread abuses by Myanmar's army, and could be used as evidence to prosecute the country's military rulers for crimes against humanity."

David Harsanyi: Obama isn?t fooling anyone

Posted on January 19, 2011
David Harsanyi writing at Townhall: "When Obama was in a place of political comfort, the free market was a place of unhinged self-interest, unfairness and misery. Nearly all of our troubles were portrayed as a case of regulatory neglect -- and nearly every dilemma was met accordingly...

Public education in Texas faces massive cuts

Posted on January 19, 2011
Associated Press: "Public education in Texas is facing billions in proposed budget cuts that would include slashing arts education, pre-kindergarten programs and teacher incentive pay as lawmakers take on a massive deficit with the promise of no new taxes...

China?s Internet population rises to 457 million

Posted on January 19, 2011
Associated Press: "China's online population rose to 457 million in 2010 as use of mobile phones to surf the Web spread rapidly, an industry group reported Wednesday."

Court to rule on Medicaid cuts

Posted on January 19, 2011
SCOTUSblog: "The Supreme Court, in the early stages of setting up the cases it will decide during its next Term, agreed on Tuesday to decide whether patients receiving Medicaid benefits, and the providers who serve their health care needs, have a right under the Constitution to challenge a state?s reduction of benefit payments...

Sens. Lieberman, Conrad will bow out

Posted on January 19, 2011
The Hill: "Sens. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) have dealt a blow to Democrats? faint hopes of keeping the majority in the Senate after the 2012 election."

Tucson video shows judge saving other victim

Posted on January 19, 2011
Wall Street Journal: "As the shooting starts, the video shows Judge Roll pushing another man, Rob Barber, onto the ground, Mr. Nanos said. 'It looks to us as though he is pushing against Ron Barber to move him out of the way.' Both men fall to the ground; both are shot...

Pa. abortion doc charged with 8 counts of murder

Posted on January 19, 2011
Associated Press: "An abortion doctor who catered to minorities, immigrants and poor women was charged with eight counts of murder in the deaths of a patient and seven babies who were born alive and then killed with scissors, prosecutors said Wednesday...

Supreme Court rejects appeal by D.C. marriage equality opponents

Posted on January 19, 2011
Human Rights Campaign press release: "'Today?s action by the Supreme Court makes abundantly clear that D.C.?s human rights protections are strong enough to withstand the hateful efforts of outside anti-LGBT groups to put people?s basic civil rights on the ballot,' said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese...

Univ. of Kentucky settles lawsuit from astronomer

Posted on January 19, 2011
Boston.com (AP): "An astronomy professor who sued the University of Kentucky after claiming he lost out on a top job because of his Christian beliefs reached a settlement Tuesday with the school. The university agreed to pay $125,000 to Martin Gaskell in exchange for dropping a federal religious discrimination suit he filed in Lexington in 2009...

5th Circuit hears ?gay? dads? La. birth certificate case

Posted on January 19, 2011
Associated Press: "A federal appeals court will consider whether Louisiana must put both fathers' names on the birth certificate of a child adopted by a gay couple."

Civil unions bill is not a civil rights issue; shouldn?t ride on MLK coattails

Posted on January 19, 2011
ChristianNewsWire: "On Martin Luther King Day, more than 40 African-American religious and political leaders gathered as conservatives speaking out against the 'civil unions' bill. They are outraged with the message from the homosexual agenda to compare seeking rights with civil unions to the civil rights movement...

UK: A stranger in my own land

Posted on January 19, 2011
Standpoint: "I have just returned to London, where I have lived since I was 11. I have been away for four years, living as an ethnic minority in a monocultural part of the world, amassing a host of stories to tell to disbelieving friends. On the whole, I am glad to return ...

Pat Toomey: How to freeze the debt ceiling without risking default

Posted on January 19, 2011
Pat Toomey writing in the Wall Street Journal: "As members of Congress debate whether to raise the U.S. debt ceiling?the limit on our government's debt?we should all agree on at least one thing: Under no circumstances is it acceptable for the U.S. to default on its debt...

We?re all bigots now: Peter Robinson, John Yoo, and Richard Epstein discuss Prop. 8 decision

Posted on January 19, 2011
Peter Robinson writing at The Corner: "Today on Uncommon Knowledge, John Yoo criticizes Judge Vaughn Walker?s decision to overturn California?s Proposition 8. John Yoo: 'I thought it was a really poorly done decision. I mean if you read it carefully, it basically says, "This law is so irrational...

Virginity, polyamory and the limits of pluralism

Posted on January 19, 2011
Peter Berger writing in The American Interest: "Conservative cassandras (please note: I am not one of them) are turning out to be empirically correct, even if one disagrees with their philosophy: once you legitimate same-sex marriage, you open the door to any number of other alternatives to marriage as a union of one man and one woman: polygamous (an interesting question for Muslims in Germany and dissident Mormons in Arizona), polyandrous, polygenerational ? perhaps polyspecies?"

Commercial surrogacy, including overseas, to be prosecuted in NSW, Australia

Posted on January 19, 2011
Sydney Morning Herald: "The NSW's Surrogacy Act, which was passed in November but has not yet come into force, will impose penalties of two years' jail, a $110,000 fine, or both on parents who pay for a surrogate here or abroad to carry their child . ...

China logs double-digit growth in 2010

Posted on January 19, 2011
Breitbart: "China's economy grew 10.3 percent last year but inflation exceeded the government's full-year target, Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television said on its website Wednesday."

Video: Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial rally

Posted on January 19, 2011
Inside the Issues: "Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel [Joseph Infranco] and ADF-allied attorney Charles S. LiMandri spoke on Saturday, January 15, 2011 at a rally in support of protecting the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial . . . 'War heroes have earned the right to be remembered,' Infranco said...

Heather Hacker: Just another ?extremist?: The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Posted on January 19, 2011
ADF attorney Heather Gebelin Hacker writing at Speak Up Movement / University: "We know that 'civility codes' on college campuses are used to stifle speech (see, for example, the case of the College Republicans at San Francisco State University), which is why it is important to oppose them...

Jordan Lorence: Humor at the Supreme Court

Posted on January 19, 2011
ADF attorney Jordan Lorence writing at Speak Up Movement / University: "The Washington Post is reporting on a recent study of humor at the Supreme Court. Yes, humor does happen at the Supreme Court! . . . My one argument at the Supreme Court resulted in the [Laughter] designation appearing in the transcript...

?DC?s Eleanor Holmes Norton chastises gay marriage foes who ask for Congress to interfere?

Posted on January 19, 2011
MetroWeekly / lastword: "Jackson has been working with a number of local and national groups including members of the National Organization for Marriage, Alliance Defense Fund, Family Research Council, several African-American baptist preachers and the head of Washington's Catholic Archdiocese, Donald Wuerl ...

Gibbs defends DoJ appeal of DOMA case

Posted on January 19, 2011
LezGetReal: "The Christian Post recently stated in one article: 'Alliance Defense Fund Legal Counsel [Dale Schowengerdt] criticized DOJ?s defense as "deficient." "The administration refuses to make the argument that the Congress made [when establishing DOMA]," asserted Schowengerdt...

Supreme Court rejects appeal to allow DC residents right to vote on marriage

Posted on January 19, 2011
LifeSiteNews: "Jackson and the Stand4MarriageDC coalition were represented by attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a Christian public interest firm. 'In America, we respect the right to vote. That right is explicitly protected by the D.C. Charter, but the government has succeeded for now in suppressing the voice of D...

Voters silenced: Sup. Court lets stand D.C. ?gay marriage? ruling

Posted on January 19, 2011
Michael Foust reports at Baptist Press: 'In America, we respect the right to vote. That right is explicitly protected by the D.C. Charter, but the government has succeeded for now in suppressing the voice of D.C. citizens," said [Austin R. Nimocks], senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund...

Alan Sears: In remembrance: Two lives that exemplified God?s grace

Posted on January 19, 2011
ADF President and CEO Alan E. Sears writing at Inside the Issues: "Bill [Pew] served on our ADF Governing Board until his death 13 years ago. When he went to be with the Lord, Margie continued on in faithful prayers and other support of our good work...

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