Religion & Law

10 states ask Calif. court to delay marriage redefinition

Posted on May 30, 2008
The states involved are Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah.

ADF: ACLU fails to silence religious expression in Wilscon County schools

Posted on May 30, 2008
http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4538 ALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND NEWS RELEASE May 30, 2008 ? FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT ADF MEDIA RELATIONS: (480) 444-0020 or www.telladf.org/pressroom ACLU fails to silence religious expression in Wilson County schools Religious expression can and will continue despite ACLU efforts in lawsuit decided Thursday NASHVILLE, Tenn...

Sharia by stealth - Ontario turns blind eye to polygamy

Posted on May 30, 2008
[Toronto Imam] Hindy is using polygamy as a proxy for his fundamentalist version of Islam, something he wants to see legitimized in Canadian society as a whole. It is part of an attempt at empire building. . .

Junior Associates - The State of the Legal Profession, Part 2

Posted on May 30, 2008
Andrew Zangrillia has this commentary on Findlaw. He writes: The legal profession is in the midst of a fundamental change, according to some inside observers. Critics of the status quo insist that aging law firm structures are no longer serving the best interests of clients or new generations of lawyers...

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Canadian Mainstream Media Reps Blast Bishops for Failing to Speak Out Strongly on Moral Issues

Posted on May 30, 2008
John-Henry Westen reports on LifeSiteNews.com with this subcaption: Bishops avoid engaging tough issues out of fear of “getting in trouble”; “martys really got in trouble”; “so what if somebody gets angry at you” Visit Site » Share This

D.C. Jail alters ?transgender inmate? policy

Posted on May 30, 2008
The jail will continue to classify inmates based on their genitalia, but D.C. Department of Corrections has created additional security measures and formalized the possibility of placing a transgendered person into protective custody, according to a May 10 memo.

Illinois? schools ?moment of silence? ban extended

Posted on May 30, 2008
A federal judge on Thursday barred school districts statewide from holding the daily moment of silence suitable for prayer that is required under state law.

Covering the other polygamy

Posted on May 30, 2008
There are estimates of 50,000 to 100,000 Muslims in the United States living in polygamous marriages, according to the NPR series.

The cognitive revolution and the decline of monotheism

Posted on May 30, 2008
The point is that there is no single model for religious experience. Humans are capable of many different modes of being religious, and the brain subserves them all in predictable and measurable ways . . . his research will not support traditional monotheistic faith in God, though it may spark a renaissance of spiritual exploration by researchers of a poly- or pantheistic bent.

Wisconsin: UWO Professor challenges the marriage amendment

Posted on May 30, 2008
Bill McConkey filed a lawsuit against the state of Wisconsin in July 2007 over the way that the amendment appeared on a ballot in November 2006 . . . The Madison-based Wisconsin Family Council filed a motion through the Alliance Defense Fund . . .

LA Times: CBS goes inside the bedroom with 1970s sex-swap series ?Swingtown?

Posted on May 30, 2008
The fact that a show with such strong sexual themes landed not on a freewheeling cable channel but on a once-genteel network astounded nearly everyone -- including the show's creative team.

Gary Bauer on ?the aftershocks of gay marriage?

Posted on May 30, 2008
Clearly, the imposition of same sex marriage will have repercussions that extend far beyond simply having the state calling committed "gay" couples ?married? instead of ?domestic partners.?

Indiana Tax Court Says Christian Campground Gets Exemption

Posted on May 30, 2008
The Religion Clause Blog reports: “In Cedar Lake Conference Association v. Lake County Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals, (IN Tax Ct., May 28, 2008), the Indiana Tax Court concluded that a Christian campground was entitled to a property tax exemption because it was predominately used for religious purposes...

Are Ahmadinejad?s Days Numbered?

Posted on May 30, 2008
Time Magazine reports: Ahmadinejad’s defeat in the Majlis is the latest sign of the ferment within Iran’s ruling conservative coalition, which dominates the legislature. Larijani engineered two impressive political victories, first to win a seat in the 290-member assembly, and then to oust a sitting speaker...

The age of innocence (consent) in Asia

Posted on May 30, 2008
The average age for sexual consent across Asia is roughly 14.5 years (actually 14.7 for heterosexual relations and between 13.8 to 14.5 for homosexual sex of both genders). The West isn't so far off; for example, in the US the average legal age for sexual consent is 16, as determined by state.

Turkish court bans homosexual group

Posted on May 30, 2008
Acting on an application by the Istanbul governor's office, the prosecutor said that LambdaIstanbul violated a constitutional provision on the protection of the family and an article banning bodies "with objectives that violate law and morality."

?Same Sex Marriage, California and the Defense of Marriage Act?

Posted on May 30, 2008
Equality Giving carries this commentary by Professor Tobias Wolff of the U. of Pensylvania School of Law. He discusses the California Supreme Court marriage decision and reviews the effects of the Defense of Marriage Act. Visit Site » Share This

Kline lawyer: Planned Parenthood using political clout to escape criminal liability

Posted on May 29, 2008
The AP reports: The attorney for Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline says Planned Parenthood is trying to use its political clout to get out of criminal charges. Attorney Caleb Stegall says other criminal defendants don’t get to sue or investigate the lead prosecutor in their cases before trial, so Planned Parenthood shouldn’t be allowed to ...

NY Gov.: State to redefine marriage by recognizing foreign marriages

Posted on May 29, 2008
"Same-sex marriages legally performed elsewhere will be recognized in New York in response to a state court ruling this year, Gov. David Paterson's spokeswoman said Wednesday."

ADF: Wash. school district agrees to respect student prayer meetings

Posted on May 29, 2008
http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4537 ALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND NEWS RELEASE May 29, 2008 ? FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT ADF MEDIA RELATIONS: (480) 444-0020 or www.telladf.org/pressroom Wash. school district agrees to respect student prayer meetings ADF attorneys win settlement from school district that prohibited students from meeting on campus for religious purposes SPOKANE, Wash...

Texas Supreme Court upholds court of appeals ruling in favor of parents in polygamy case

Posted on May 29, 2008
Eugene Volokh comments on and links to the opinion in this post on the Volokh Conspiracy. The AP reports: Court: Sect children should be returned to parents. It begins: “In a crushing blow to the state’s massive seizure of children from a polygamist sect’s ranch, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Thursday that child welfare officials overstepped [...

Rutherford Institute: Mass. School Agrees to Protect Conservative Student Expression

Posted on May 29, 2008
The Rutherford Institute has issued this press release. It begins: School officials at a Massachusetts high school have agreed to settle a lawsuit over the school’s alleged censorship of conservative political posters. The lawsuit, which was filed in U...

NC: ?Choose Life? Approved by Committee

Posted on May 29, 2008
The North Carolina Family Policy Council reports: The North Carolina House Transportation Committee approved a bill Wednesday that would authorize the state to issue a special license tag bearing the pro-life message, ?Choose Life.? The bill, sponsored by Rep...

Switzerland Center Helps Nearly 900 People Kill Themselves

Posted on May 29, 2008
Citizen Link reports: “Switzerland?s suicide center Dignitas reported that it has helped 868 people kill themselves since it opened 10 years ago. In the last two years, 335 people killed themselves ? 85 percent of them foreigners . . .” Visit Site » Share This

The Evolving Same-Sex Marriage Struggle: CA, NY, CT, NJ

Posted on May 29, 2008
Leonard Link provides this overview of the marriage battle in four states: California, New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Visit Site » Share This

Oregon: Group mobilizes to protest proposed strip club

Posted on May 29, 2008
The Register-Guard reports that Springfield parents are gearing up to protest a new strip club that proposes to open near the Academy for Academics and Art. Visit Site » Share This

AUL: Drastic Reduction of Abortions in Michigan Demonstrate the Importance of Incremental Protections

Posted on May 29, 2008
The Americans United for Life Blog reports: As life-affirming laws in Michigan increase, the abortion rates in Michigan continue to plummet. Michigan state health officials announced last week that the abortion rate in Michigan has dropped to its record low since record-keeping began in 1979 ...

Tampa: Police focusing on overexposed subjects

Posted on May 29, 2008
The Tampa Tribune reports: Police are showing up more around adult businesses in Drew Park after complaints from residents and other business owners. Tampa police on Tuesday arrested three men - one 55, one 61 and one 68 - inside The Playhouse adult theater at 4421 N...

Iowa: Peosta adopts ordinance to limit sex shops

Posted on May 29, 2008
THOnline.com reports: The ordinance prohibits establishing an adult business: * Within 2,000 feet of any church, synagogue, mosque, temple, or other place of religious worship. * Within 2,000 feet of any public or private school offering general education for students between kindergarten and 12th grade...

HRC: ?ExxonMobil Shareholders Show Record Support for Non-Discrimination Policy?

Posted on May 29, 2008
The Human Rights Campaign has issued this press release: The Human Rights Campaign Foundation . . . commented on shareholders at Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) voting with record support for a resolution to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the company?s official equal employment opportunity policy...

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