Religion & Law

Greg Baylor: Catholic colleges, Catholic bishops, and the secular state

Posted on November 18, 2010
ADF Attorney Gregory S. Baylor writing at Speak Up Movement / University: "According to Insider Higher Ed, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops voted this week to review the extent to which Roman Catholic colleges and universities have been faithful 'to the Christian message as it comes to us through the Church' ...

Laurence Tribe is leaving Justice job

Posted on November 18, 2010
New York Times / The Caucus: "After nine months as the Justice Department?s 'senior counselor for access to justice,' Laurence H. Tribe, a prominent Harvard law professor and mentor to President Obama, will leave his position and return to Massachusetts early next month...

FRC: Despite media spin, 95% of Americans under 30 plan to tie the knot

Posted on November 18, 2010
"Two-thirds of Americans are 'optimistic' about the institutions of marriage and the family. Far fewer say that about schools, the economy, or 'morals and ethics.'"

Pew Research Center: ?The Decline of Marriage and Rise of New Families?

Posted on November 18, 2010
"The transformative trends of the past 50 years that have led to a sharp decline in marriage and a rise of new family forms have been shaped by attitudes and behaviors that differ by class, age and race, according to a new Pew Research Center nationwide survey ...

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AP: ?Four in 10 say marriage is becoming obsolete?

Posted on November 18, 2010
"Indeed, about 39 percent of Americans said marriage was becoming obsolete. And that sentiment follows U.S. census data released in September that showed marriages hit an all-time low of 52 percent for adults 18 and over."

TIME: ?Marriage: What?s It Good For??

Posted on November 18, 2010
"Sociologists tend to believe the answers lie outside marriage. Coontz thinks that if we changed our assumptions about alternative family arrangements and our respect for them, people would be more responsible about them. 'We haven't raised our expectations of how unmarried parents will react to each other...

Doc says he used ?Octomom? in fertility study

Posted on November 18, 2010
Associated Press: "The fertility doctor for 'Octomom' Nadya Suleman said Thursday she agreed to be implanted with 12 embryos as part of a study on fertility methods, disputing a prosecutor's assertion that Suleman was an unwitting participant."

Senate Dems want deal with GOP on DADT debate

Posted on November 18, 2010
"Senate Democrats on Thursday pressured Majority Leader Harry Reid to strike a deal with Republicans to aid passage of a bill that would let gays serve openly in the military."

WA Supreme Court: Teachers can?t have sex with any students

Posted on November 18, 2010
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (AP): "The Washington Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that student age doesn't matter in teacher-sex cases, even if the student is 18 and considered an adult by other state laws." State v. Hirschfelder, NO. 82744-3 (Wash. Nov 18, 2010) [dissent]

Ireland: Catholic school found guilty of ?discrimination? for not hiring Protestant teacher

Posted on November 18, 2010
Iona Institute: "A Catholic National School has been been found guilty of discrimination and fined ?12,000 by the Equality Tribunal for not hiring a Protestant teacher."

Same-sex ?marriage? to be imposed by EU, group warns

Posted on November 18, 2010
Iona Institute: "European pro-family groups have warned that a new EU report under consideration by the European Parliament could pave the way for same-sex marriage being forced on Member States. The document, 'Report on civil law, commercial law, family law and private international law aspects of the Action Plan Implementing the Stockholm Program' is intended to make Member States mutually legally recognise each other's 'civil status documents', including marriage certificates...

Ireland: Call to give unmarried fathers automatic guardianship rights

Posted on November 18, 2010
Iona Institute: "A group promoting the rights of unmarried fathers has called for the compulsory registration of fathers on birth certificates. Launching a new document on family law, the group, Families, Fathers and Friends, also called for all fathers to be made legal guardians of their children from birth...

Rutgers Prof: Having lots of kids is like littering

Posted on November 18, 2010
Pat Archbold writing at the National Catholic Register: "Rutgers University Professor Helen Fisher, of the Center for Human Evolution Studies has written for Oprah Magazine and today was on the Joy Behar show talking about women making the choice to be childless...

UK: Tory voices concern over ?gay? actor?s schools? talks

Posted on November 18, 2010
BBC: "A city councillor has criticised visits by Sir Ian McKellen to two Bristol schools, claiming they could promote homophobic bullying. The gay actor was invited to talk to the schoolchildren to help them understand what it means to be gay."

China?s censors misfire in abuse-of-power case

Posted on November 18, 2010
New York Times: "Chen Xiaofeng was a poor farm girl. The man accused of killing her, Li Qiming, is the son of Li Gang, the deputy police chief in the Beishi district of Baoding. The tale of her death is precisely the sort of gripping socio-drama ? a commoner grievously wronged; a privileged transgressor pulling strings to escape punishment ? that sets off alarm bells in the offices of Communist Party censors...

Olson requests changes to 9th Circuit?s Prop 8 argument plan

Posted on November 18, 2010
Legal Pad: "Two days ago, the Ninth Circuit revealed its time allotments for oral arguments in the gay-marriage case. Today, Theodore Olson, told the court how he wanted things to go down."

The Left?s delusion over Islam is baffling to Middle Eastern Christians

Posted on November 17, 2010
"[D]espite the Left's 'myth of the myth' of the clash of civilisations, the simple fact is that almost nowhere in the Islamic world are Christians free in the same way Muslims are free in Europe."

WA attorney general?s power questioned in lawsuits

Posted on November 17, 2010
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "The scope of Attorney General Rob McKenna's power to independently sue - or to refuse to sue - is at the heart of two lawsuits before the state Supreme Court this week."

Lynch to nominate Lynn to NH Supreme Court

Posted on November 17, 2010
Boston.com (AP): "Gov. John Lynch plans to nominate Superior Court Chief Justice Robert Lynn to the New Hampshire Supreme Court and Supreme Court Justice Linda Dalianis to serve as chief justice."

Washington center that did secret abortion on teen closes

Posted on November 17, 2010
LifeNews: "The abortion business near Seattle that did a secret abortion on a teenager years ago has closed. The Cedar Women?s Clinic, which was the first abortion center to open in the city 31 years ago, closed Monday."

Idaho: No harm in prayers at Pocatello City Council

Posted on November 17, 2010
Standard Journal: "It?s a stretch to say that a brief prayer heard before each Pocatello City Council meeting violates the constitutional separation between church and state, as some nonbelievers contend. All the deliberations and decisions by the council are secular, not religious...

Congressional hearing on Thursday on Obama faith-based initiative

Posted on November 17, 2010
Institution Religious Freedom Alliance: "On Nov. 18th the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties of the House Committee on the Judiciary will hold a hearing on 'Faith-Based Initiatives: Recommendations of the President's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Community Partnerships and Other Current Issues...

Law Review: Burning Crosses on Campus: University Hate Speech Codes

Posted on November 17, 2010
Alexander Tsesis, Burning Crosses on Campus: University Hate Speech Codes (November 5, 2009). Connecticut Law Review, Vol. 43, No. 2, December 2010. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1467970 "Debates about the value and constitutionality of hate speech regulations on college campuses have deeply divided academics for over a decade...

Tories risk fresh embarrassment over EU bedfellows

Posted on November 17, 2010
EU Observer: "A split in the Polish Law and Justice party, the British Conservative Party's main ally in the European Parliament, risks further diminishing London's influence in Brussels and causing fresh embarrassment over issues such as homophobia and anti-Semitism...

Australia: Marriage vote expected on Thursday

Posted on November 17, 2010
Sydney Morning Herald: "A vote on whether politicians should canvass their electorates on gay marriage is expected in the federal parliament on Thursday."

CO: ?Marriage is so gay? T-shirt allowed back in school

Posted on November 17, 2010
ABC 7: "Officials are allowing a Falcon High School student to wear a 'Marriage Is So Gay' T-shirt after the American Civil Liberties Union called a principal's ban censorship."

All charges dropped against pro-life pastor

Posted on November 17, 2010
LifeSiteNews: "The Appellate Division of the Alameda Superior Court has dismissed all criminal charges against Oakland pro-life witness Pastor Walter Hoye. Hoye was arrested in May of 2008, charged, found guilty and imprisoned for peacefully counseling and picketing at a local abortion clinic...

UN panel cuts ?gay? reference from violence measure

Posted on November 17, 2010
Reuters: "Arab and African nations succeeded on Tuesday in getting a U.N. General Assembly panel to delete from a resolution condemning unjustified executions a specific reference to killings due to sexual orientation."

Dems vote to go ahead with leadership elections

Posted on November 17, 2010
The Hill: "House Democrats soundly rejected a proposal to delay caucus leadership elections until December, paving the way for a vote Wednesday to keep Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as the Democratic leader."

Albania advocates push for ?gay rights? in the military

Posted on November 17, 2010
Balkan Insight: "According to Pink Embassy the armed forces should begin a process of educating their members on their rights related to sexual orientation by introducing materials in the training of the military that could help fight prejudice against gays and lesbians...

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