Religion & Law

German church allows ?gay? pastors to live with partners

Posted on November 17, 2010
The Christian Century: "Gay and lesbian Lutheran ministers in the conservative German state of Bavaria may live with their partners in parish parsonages, but only if they enter into a state-sanctioned civil union."

El Paso: Effort to override citizen referendum fails; partner benefits not restored

Posted on November 17, 2010
El Paso Times: "An effort by some City Council members to reverse the outcome of a Nov. 2 citizen referendum failed today in an initial vote. The matter, though, may not be settled."

?Time to end government handouts based on religion?

Posted on November 17, 2010
Marci A. Hamilton writing at Patheos: "We face high unemployment, gigantic government overruns, and serious needs among citizens for meaningful and strong social services. If the federal government is going to subsidize social services, it has the obligation to demand the highest quality...

How Obamacare burdens already strained state budgets

Posted on November 17, 2010
How Obamacare Burdens Already Strained State Budgets Lanhee Chen, Ph.D. "A growing number of state budgets are in danger of collapsing under multibillion-dollar deficits?and are about to be burdened with billions more in costs imposed by the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)...

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Obama pushes DREAM Act immigration reform for lame-duck Congress

Posted on November 17, 2010
ABC: "ABC News? Sunlen Miller and Devin Dwyer report: President Obama today joined top Congressional Democrats in urging Congress to pass a small piece of immigration legislation known as the DREAM Act before it adjourns for the year. The measure would give hundreds of thousands of young, undocumented immigrants a conditional path to legal residency...

TSA: Religion offers no break on airport screening

Posted on November 17, 2010
Forbes (AP): "The Transportation Security Administration says airline passengers won't get out of body imaging screening or pat-downs based on their religious beliefs."

UK tribunal rejects religious discrimination claim by adoption panel member

Posted on November 17, 2010
Christian Concern: "Employment Judge MacMillan held that there was no discrimination on the grounds of religion as Dr Matthews? belief in the dangers of placing vulnerable children with same sex couples was based on scientific evidence which happened to dovetail with her Christian beliefs ...

Video of House Rep. Duncan: TSA porno scanners more about money, political payoffs than security

Posted on November 17, 2010
See this earlier related post: TSA porno scanners not making sense? Follow the money http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH-dpkJZiOM

USCIRF Vice-Chair criticizes Russian laws on extremism

Posted on November 17, 2010
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom: "Russia faces legitimate, serious threats from groups which advocate or perpetrate violence in the name of religion. This is a major security concern, not just in Russia, but in other nations...

Supreme Court should ?adjust its severe approach to content-based regulations?

Posted on November 17, 2010
Barry P. McDonald writing in the Los Angeles Times: "In [invalidating video-game restrictions . . . courts have applied ? as they must ? a completely unsatisfying set of 1st Amendment rules that the modern Supreme Court has developed. The rules make it almost impossible for state and local governments to address legitimate harms posed by certain types of expression ...

Iraqi president won?t sign Tariq Aziz death order

Posted on November 17, 2010
Associated Press: "Iraq's president said Wednesday he won't sign off on a death penalty sentence against one of Saddam Hussein's closest confidantes, Tariq Aziz, setting the stage for a possible battle over the fate of the man known as the international face of the dictator's regime...

18 hurt in Pakistan mosque shootout over prayers

Posted on November 17, 2010
Associated Press: "A shootout inside a mosque in southwestern Pakistan wounded 18 people Wednesday in a dispute over who should lead prayers for one of Islam's most important holidays, police said."

Advisory panel urges action on Chinese currency

Posted on November 17, 2010
Associated Press: "A congressional advisory panel is recommending that lawmakers prod the Obama administration into tougher action against what it calls China's policy of keeping its currency undervalued."

Egypt frees blogger convicted of insulting Islam

Posted on November 17, 2010
Associated Press: "A prominent Egyptian blogger jailed for four years for writings deemed insulting to Islam and for calling President Hosni Mubarak 'a symbol of tyranny' has been released, his brother said Wednesday."

David Cortman on Mike Gallagher Show: 1st Circuit turns away attack on Pledge of Allegiance

Posted on November 17, 2010
ADF Attorney David Cortman appeared on the Mike Gallagher Show to discuss: 1st Circuit turns away attack on Pledge of Allegiance | MP3 audio runs 8:01 mins

ADF Allied Attorney Success Stories: November 2010

Posted on November 17, 2010
Congratulations to allied attorneys Jim Beck, Stephen Casey, Greg Terra, Fintan Dooley, Trenton Garmon, Samuel Harms, Michael Norton, Michael Phillips, Richard Ranieri, and Robert Michael Schmidt for their recent accomplishments and successes listed below...

Erik Stanley on the Hugh Hewitt Show: Courtroom battles continue despite the election

Posted on November 17, 2010
ADF attorney Erik Stanley appeared on the Hugh Hewitt Show. They discuss the importance of courtroom battles and this: No more Mt. ?Hushmore?: Free speech preserved at national parks. | The MP3 runs 7:29 mins

Pope urges freedom for Pakistani Christian

Posted on November 17, 2010
Associated Press: "Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday urged the release of a Christian woman in Pakistan facing the death sentence on a charge of blasphemy."

Ron Paul?s golden opportunity

Posted on November 17, 2010
Seth Lipsky writing in the Wall Street Journal [full text via Google News]: "One of the most exciting features of the new Congress is the prospect that the chairmanship of a House subcommittee that oversees the Federal Reserve will go to Ron Paul. Final assignments are still being worked out, and the leadership may yet shy away from giving the position to a congressman who doesn't believe the Fed should exist...

Employees punished for expressing their faith

Posted on November 17, 2010
Alliance Defense Fund: "To help get the word out [for the 52nd Annual Santa Barbara Community Prayer Breakfast] to local business owners, Craig appeared for 30 seconds in a three-minute promotional video, along with a Santa Barbara-area school superintendent and a local high school teacher...

Jill Stanek: Democrats for Life betrays pro-life movement

Posted on November 17, 2010
Jill Stanek writing at WorldNetDaily: "[T]he rift that developed during the 2010 election cycle between Democrats for Life and basically the rest of the pro-life movement is irreparable, at least as long as Kristen Day remains its executive director ...

Archbishop Kurtz: A ?Roe moment? for marriage?

Posted on November 17, 2010
National Catholic Register: "Saying 'today is like 1970 for marriage,' Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., urged his fellow bishops Nov. 15 to look at the challenges to traditional marriage as if they could see Roe v. Wade on the horizon."

9th Circuit refuses to consider CLS claims on remand from Supreme Court

Posted on November 17, 2010
"The 9th Circuit on Wednesday refused to consider a Christian student group's claim that a public law school selectively enforces its nondiscrimination policy, saying the group 'simply failed to raise this issue the first time around.'"

UN Committee debates the ?right to sexual and reproductive health?

Posted on November 17, 2010
Pat Buckley / European Life Network: "The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) during its 45th session (1 ? 19 November 2010), held a Day of General Discussion (DGD) on the right to sexual and reproductive health in accordance with articles 12 and 10 (2) of the Covenant...

?Gender-blind? housing under consideration at ?Catholic? Georgetown University

Posted on November 17, 2010
Cardinal Newman Society: "According to The Hoya, Jesuit Georgetown University?s student newspaper, officials at the University have said they are willing to broach the topic of 'gender-blind housing,' which would 'not take into account gender when assigning housing to students...

Vallejo, CA debates ?pro-gay? film for elementary students

Posted on November 17, 2010
EarnedMedia: "The controversy centers around three films, 'That's a Family,' 'Let's Get Real,' and 'Straightlaced,' that promote the idea that gay relationships are just as normal as any other family structure. The films are being mandated as part of a legal settlement between the ACLU and VCUSD...

Kay S. Hymowitz: To fix poverty, first fix the family

Posted on November 17, 2010
Union Leader: "The articles in the issue are based on findings from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, which has followed 5,000 children and their urban, primarily minority parents since the kids were born in the late 1990s. The study constitutes the most extensive, long-term database on the family lives of the urban poor we've ever had, and the dismal picture that it paints of low-income, unmarried couples and their children has nothing to do with the Great Recession...

Oklahoma ban on international and sharia law defended by U.S. Border Control

Posted on November 17, 2010
PRNewswire: "U.S. Border Control and U.S. Border Control Foundation filed an Amicus Curiae brief in the United States District Court for the Western Division of Oklahoma in opposition to the Plaintiff's motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to stop certification of a constitutional amendment, State Question 755...

Muslims harassed during prayer festival in Greece

Posted on November 17, 2010
AolNews.: "Ultra-right activists waved Greek flags and pelted Muslims with raw eggs as they gathered today in central Athens to pray during the Eid al-Adha festival."

LGBT issues poised to be hot debate at MN capitol

Posted on November 17, 2010
Minnesota Independent: "After years as a low-profile issue at the Minnesota Legislature, same-sex marriage is likely to become a source of controversy next session . . .  Republican leadership has been mum on the prospect so far, and despite long odds, LGBT advocates hope to advance a few key provisions of their own in 2011...

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