Religion & Law

Monday: Alabama Senate to vote on Hate Crimes

Posted on May 16, 2008
"On Monday, House Bill 829 will either be passed by the Alabama Senate or it will die. If passed, it will expand the definition of hate crimes in Alabama to include sexual identity."

Liberty Counsel Will Ask California Court To Stay Opinion Until Californians Vote On Marriage

Posted on May 16, 2008
iberty Counsel intends to file a motion on behalf of CCF, asking the court to stay its opinion pending the outcome of a vote in November on a state constitutional amendment that could preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman and overturn the Court's opinion.

Traditional marriage helps the economy

Posted on May 15, 2008
Economic conservatives should welcome the faith community's emphasis on marriage. To the extent that our government can assume that most of the people in the nation will live in strong families, government will be smaller. Smaller government means fewer regulations, lower taxes and more individual freedom.

Harvard Student group campaigns to encourage undergrads to opt out of $1 health insurance fee

Posted on May 15, 2008
In the past two weeks, Harvard students opened their mailboxes to find a blue ?opt-out? card as part of the Abortion Opt-Out Campaign of Harvard Right to Life (HRL). The initiative allows students to request a refund of the part of their Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) health insurance plan that funds elective abortions?one dollar per term ...

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Supreme Court Petitions to Watch includes right of public school teacher to choose private school

Posted on May 15, 2008
Issue: Whether a parental rights claim of a teacher denied a promotion for choosing to educate her children in a competing private school is subject to rational basis or heightened scrutiny.

Recap of Colorado Christian University 10th Cir. oral argument

Posted on May 15, 2008
The CLS Blog provides this update that links to a Denver Post article that “offers a snapshot of the oral argument yesterday in the CLS Center’s Colorado Christian University case challenging the Colorado Commission on Higher Education’s denial of financial aid to CCU students...

Research Explores ?Evangelical Intelligentsia?

Posted on May 15, 2008
ow, his university's Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs is leading a two-year project that explores an "evangelical intelligentsia" which Berger says is growing and needs to be better understood, given the large numbers of evangelicals and their influence ...

Professor Laurence Tribe at NYU Commencement: ?Thank mom and dad for doing it.?

Posted on May 15, 2008
Yes. You read the headline to this post correctly. Above the Law has the story and links to the YouTube video clip. Presumably, this means we ought to thank them for not aborting us too. Visit Site » Share This

Minnesota Taxpayers Forced to Pay for More Abortions Than Ever Before

Posted on May 15, 2008
Minnesota taxpayers have been forced to pay for more abortions than ever before, according to new figures from the Minnesota Department of Human Services. State residents were required to pay $1.6 million for more than 3,900 abortions in 2006.

Muslim soldier, wife raise issue over son?s death

Posted on May 15, 2008
A Muslim soldier and his wife in North Carolina, upset over how their infant son's body was handled after his death, may join a legal battle in Kansas over whether the military respects religious freedoms.

Senate Judiciary votes to create dozens of new federal judgeships

Posted on May 15, 2008
This morning the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 14-5 to approve a bill that would create dozens of new federal judgeships for the first time since 1990. The bill would add 38 district court judgeships and 12 circuit court judgeships.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford Signs Abortion-Ultrasound Bill, 18th State

Posted on May 15, 2008
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has signed a bill that would allow women a chance to see an ultrasound of their unborn child before an abortion. The southern state is now the eighteenth to have such a law, which pro-life groups and lawmakers hope will help reduce the number of abortions further.

Canada Pharmacy Association Allows Morning After Pill Sales on Shelves

Posted on May 15, 2008
The national pharmacy organization in Canada has approved a request to sell the morning after pill "in front of the counter." That means the Plan B drug will be sold on store shelves instead of keeping it behind the pharmacy counter and purchasing the drug through the pharmacist.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Will Oppose Limits on Late-Term Abortions

Posted on May 15, 2008
"When members of the British Parliament consider an amendment next week that would place more limits on late-term abortions, Prime Minister Gordon Brown will not support the move. Some lawmakers hope to reduce the allowance from 24-weeks into pregnancy to 20 weeks...

Report: American Courts on Marriage? Is Marriage Discriminatory

Posted on May 15, 2008
Joshua Baker of the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy has prepared this six page abstracts report reviewing American marriage decisions.  IMAPP’s home page summarizes the report as follows: On May 15, 2008 the California Supreme Court overruled Proposition 22 which defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman...

Marriage jeopardized after Calif. high court decision unless voters approve amendment

Posted on May 15, 2008
ADF attorneys who defended Proposition 22 note that the outcome illustrates precisely why a state law alone is not sufficient to protect marriage . . . The only way to make sure it does so in California is to amend the state constitution . . .

California Supreme Court Marriage Ruling: Digest of Coverage

Posted on May 15, 2008
The justices' 4-3 decision Thursday says domestic partnerships are not a good enough substitute for marriage. Chief Justice Ron George wrote the opinion.

Ariz. Appeals Court holds school vouchers unconstitutional

Posted on May 15, 2008
"A state appeals court has overturned two Arizona school voucher programs as unconstitutional."

Schwarzenegger vows to uphold marriage redefinition

Posted on May 15, 2008
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is vowing to uphold the California Supreme Court's ruling striking down a state ban on gay marriage . . . The governor said, "I respect the court's decision and as governor, I will uphold its ruling."

Judicial Council of California: News Release on the Cal. Supreme Court Ruling

Posted on May 15, 2008
The Judicial Council of California has issued this 7 page summary of today’s marriage ruling by the California Supreme Court. The file is in pdf format. Visit Site » Share This

North Carolina Marriage Amendment Filed

Posted on May 15, 2008
One of the first bills filed during the 2008 Session of the North Carolina General Assembly calls for an amendment to the North Carolina Constitution to define marriage as ?the union of one man and one woman at one time.?

California Supreme Court holds traditional definition of marriage is unconstitutional

Posted on May 15, 2008
Does California?s statutory ban on marriage between two persons of the same sex violate the California Constitution by denying equal protection of the laws on the basis of sexual orientation or sex, by infringing on the fundamental right to marry, or by denying the right to privacy and freedom of expression?

Federal court: San Diego treated church with ?outright hostility?

Posted on May 15, 2008
A federal court handed victory to a Rancho Bernardo church Friday in its land use battle with San Diego officials and two planning boards, noting that officials demonstrated ?outright hostility? toward the church and failed to consider relevant federal law.

Maine Referendum Certified: ?An Act to Protect Marriage and Promote Equality?

Posted on May 15, 2008
The Maine Secretary of State approved, and the Christian Civic League of Maine accepted on May 12, the final text and title of a citizen-initiative petition that would not only strip the state of its laws prohibiting anti-gay discrimination but also ban gay marriage, civil unions, gay adoption and funding for civil rights teams (the Maine version of a gay-straight alliance) in public schools.

U. of Toledo administrator fired for speaking against homosexual agenda

Posted on May 15, 2008
Dixon was placed on paid administrative leave after a column she wrote that appeared on the newspaper's Web site April 18 created controversy because of her views on homosexuality . . .

Yuval Levin on Human Dignity

Posted on May 15, 2008
It involves more generally an inclination to reject any idea drawn in any way from a religiously inspired tradition ? which unfortunately includes just about everything in the humanities.

British study contradicts American study: Kids do care for divorced parents

Posted on May 15, 2008
Fear not, divorced parents ? your kids will still care for you when you're old. That's the message coming out of a newly released British study of 5,000 households that finds adult children care for elderly parents according to need, not family history.

PA Governor Rendell Condemns Partisan Senate Vote Blocking Appellate Court Nominations

Posted on May 15, 2008
The PR Newswire carries this press release by Pennsylvania Governor Rendell criticizing the Republican Senate’s actions blocking his judicial nominations. Related post: Pennsylvania: Rendell?s judicial nominees rejected in partisan showdown Visit Site » Share This

Canadian polygamist sect under pressure

Posted on May 15, 2008
. . . British Columbia's Attorney General Wally Oppal told The Associated Press he plans to arrest someone on a polygamy charge or ask the courts to weigh in on Bountiful's legal standing within the month . . .

SC high court overturns mother?s conviction for killing unborn child

Posted on May 14, 2008
The court ruled that Regina McKnight, who was convicted in 2001 of homicide by child abuse after being accused of killing her unborn child with cocaine, must be granted a new trial.

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