Religion & Law

Pro-homosexual film challenged, nixed

Posted on October 12, 2010
One News Now: "It claimed that those who believe that the Bible teaches against homosexual conduct...have a -- quote -- 'fifth-grade understanding of God,' Barham explains. 'The First Amendment is quite clear. Going back all the way to the Founding Fathers, the clearest command of the First Amendment is that government cannot prefer certain religious views over others and certain religious denominations over others...

Pastors hope IRS will take the bait

Posted on October 12, 2010
One News Now:  "Nearly 100 pastors, backed by the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), participated in "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" September 26 and challenged the IRS by speaking about politics in church. David Barton, founder and president of WallBuilders, believes it is necessary for outspoken pastors to speak out in order to prove that the IRS is prohibiting their First Amendment rights...

Feds balk ? so ADF steps in to defend marriage

Posted on October 12, 2010
One News Now: "Dale Schowengerdt, litigation attorney with ADF, tells OneNewsNow a federal judge struck down the DOMA law as unconstitutional in those two cases in July, but the rulings are on hold pending appeal. 'Since then, the Department of Justice has refused to say whether it's going to appeal the case," he reports...

Calif. school district threatens to terminate principal for endorsing prayer breakfast

Posted on October 12, 2010
An ADF-allied attorney filed a lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of an elementary school principal against the Goleta Union School District after it threatened to end his contract for appearing in a short video promoting the 52nd Annual Community Prayer Breakfast to honor teachers.

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ADF, Stand4MarriageDC appeal marriage initiative case to U.S. Supreme Court

Posted on October 12, 2010
Alliance Defense Fund and Stand4MarriageDC attorneys filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday asking the justices to weigh in on the right of District of Columbia residents to vote on the legal definition of marriage.

Wisc. Gov. Doyle: Announces state has filed motion to join stem cell funding amicus brief

Posted on October 12, 2010
WisBusiness.com: "Governor Doyle has pledged to assist the U.S. Department of Justice in its efforts to uphold the guidelines and secure federal funding for stem cell researchers in Wisconsin and across the nation. "

ACLU: ?Opposes school decision to ban students from wearing certain Christian religious symbols?

Posted on October 12, 2010
ACLU: "The Colorado Springs Gazette has reported that a local middle school has announced a policy forbidding students from wearing certain Christian symbols to school, unless they are worn underneath clothing. The ACLU strongly opposes the decision of Colorado Springs School District 11 on the basis of religious liberty...

Denials up amid large health insurers: lawmakers

Posted on October 12, 2010
Reuters: "Coverage denials of individuals based on their medical histories by the nation's top for-profit health insurance companies rose by nearly half in recent years, U.S. lawmakers said on Tuesday."

Feds appeal Mass. rulings against US marriage law

Posted on October 12, 2010
"The DOJ on Tuesday filed a notice of appeal in rulings made by U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro in two separate lawsuits."

And then there was a nun: Obamacare and the closing of Catholic Hospitals

Posted on October 12, 2010
Family Resarch Council Washington Update: "At that time, Mercy Health Partners CEO Kevin Cook made it clear that President Obama's new health care law, also known as Obamacare, played a role in the decision to close. Almost immediately, however, Mercy Health Partners seemed to be backing away from their claim...

Adoption Season for Evangelicals

Posted on October 12, 2010
All of this makes the growing evangelical interest in adoption seem particularly countercultural. With the widespread availability of artificial reproductive technologies such as in-vitro fertilization, many couples who previously would have chosen adoption can now use surrogates, donor sperm or donor eggs to have a baby who shares their DNA (or whose DNA they have carefully chosen), and whose prenatal care they can closely monitor...

Hawaii Federal Court Enjoins Limit on Contributions Received By Political Committees Doing Only Independent Spending

Posted on October 12, 2010
A federal court in Hawaii has stopped the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission from enforcing a limit on contributions received by political committees doing only independent spending for political speech.

Olympic College Adopts Policy Restricting Non-Student Protesters

Posted on October 12, 2010
Kitsap Sun: "No formal complaints about the new policy have been filed, Martin said. But the Anti-Choice Project is reviewing the policy and has referred it to the Alliance Defense Fund, a legal alliance founded by Christian leaders to defend religious liberties, said project co-founder Tom Herring...

Council on American-Islamic Relations Launches ?Islamophobia? Division | CNSnews.com

Posted on October 12, 2010
CNSNews: "In doing so, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is following the example of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the 57-member bloc of Islamic states. The OIC set up an 'observatory' five years ago to monitor and report on incidents and trends around the world it regards as amounting to 'Islamophobia...

AU: ?Graduating To A Better Understanding Of The Constitution: Public Ceremonies Shouldn?t Be Held In Churches That Hate?

Posted on October 12, 2010
Americans United for Separation of Church and State: "Isn?t there a contradiction here? Shouldn?t it be obvious that gay students and their families might blanch at attending a public ceremony in a church that actively campaigns against them and seeks to deny them full civil rights?"

Montana Is Seeking to Uphold Campaign-Funding Curbs Jeopardized by a Supreme Court Ruling

Posted on October 12, 2010
Jess Bravin writes at the Wall Street Journal: "After the Supreme Court freed corporations and unions to pay for advertisements supporting or attacking candidates for federal office, many states concluded that their own restrictions on such electioneering were doomed as well ...

Torrence, CA debate: ?Abortion ? Exploring Theological Differences?

Posted on October 11, 2010
DailyBreeze.com: At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Dawn Unity Group will tackle this hot-button issue with "Abortion - Exploring Theological Differences," as part of its continuing Interfaith Discovery Series. This year, the program will be held at St...

OH: ?Pro-Life? Democrat Files Criminal Complaint to Silence Pro-Life Group?s Ads

Posted on October 11, 2010
LifeNews: "Upset that the Susan B. Anthony List is holding him accountable for violating his pledge to represent pro-life values in Congress by voting for the abortion-funding ObamaCare health care bill, Ohio Rep. Steve Driehaus has filed a criminal complaint against the pro-life organization...

Religious Speech Vital to Democracy |

Posted on October 11, 2010
Kevin Theriot writes at the Speak Up Movement Blog for Churches: "The religious speech of churches doesn?t take a back seat to political speech on the constitutional bus.  As Judge Noonan astutely said, it?s just as important to our democracy and even more protected...

Crossing Borders with Shariah: The Role of Islamic Law in German Courts

Posted on October 11, 2010
Spiegel Online: "Chancellor Angela Merkel recently said that Islamic law has no place in Germany. But she was wrong: German courts have long used elements of Shariah in some verdicts. It is an "expression of globalization," says one legal expert...

Does Islam and Shariah Have More In Common With Nazi Ideology Than With Religion?

Posted on October 11, 2010
Canadian Free Press: "Since the atrocities committed on 9/11/01 by Middle Eastern Muslim terrorists in the name of Islam, people in the U.S. and West have debated whether Islam is ?a religion of peace? or more of an all-encompassing totalitarian ideology cloaked in religious garb...

PA chief justice asks for halt in judge appointments

Posted on October 11, 2010
Post-Gazette.com: "State Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald Castille doesn't want the state Senate to confirm the judges for Washington and Bucks counties. He says the judges aren't needed and he would rather keep the jobs empty while the judicial branch battles budget problems...

The Supreme Court and Religious Liberty: Haunting 1990 Decision

Posted on October 11, 2010
Allan D. Hertzke has an article at Weekly Standard that carries this sub-caption: "How a 1990 decision has come back to haunt us, and how its damage might be undone"

Schools To Close For Muslim Holiday ? Boston News Story ? WCVB Boston

Posted on October 11, 2010
TheBostonchannel.com: "In a move that officials believe is the first of its kind in Massachusetts, Cambridge will close its schools for one Muslim holiday each year beginning in the next school year."

The foetus who broke into a big smile?aged only 17 weeks | Mail Online

Posted on October 11, 2010
DailyMail: "Transformed by a beaming smile, this is the tiny face of a foetus just 17 weeks old. The scan implies that a baby can experience feelings such as happiness and pain much earlier in its development than previously thought. It will prompt further calls from doctors and campaigners to lower the upper abortion limit from 24 weeks ...

ACLU Urges Regents To Allow Illegal Immigrants To Attend Ga. Schools

Posted on October 11, 2010
WSBTV.com: "The American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia issued a statement Monday urging the regents to continue to allow illegal immigrant students to attend University System of Georgia schools."

US treats first patient with human embryonic stem cells

Posted on October 11, 2010
"US doctors have begun treating the first patient with embryonic stem cells as part of the first human study of the controversial treatment authorized by the government, the Geron Corporation said Monday."

Congress, Not Courts, May Have Final Word on ?Don?t Ask, Don?t Tell?

Posted on October 11, 2010
The National Law Journal on Law.com: "Two federal court rulings dramatically shifted the legal landscape with respect to the military's ban against openly gay service members. It's unclear, however, whether they will survive U.S. Supreme Court review...

The Competition for Supreme Court Cases

Posted on October 11, 2010
Orin Kerr writes at the Volokh Conspiracy: "Adam Liptak has an important front-page story in The New York Times about how Supreme Court specialists look for cases to take to the Supreme Court. The story presents a pretty accurate picture of how tough the competition is for cases likely to get to the Supreme Court...

Video: Media goes crazy as NY GOP Gubernatorial Candidate says? children should not brainwashed into homosexuality, nor taken to ?gay? pride parades

Posted on October 11, 2010
"Carl Paladino, the Republican party candidate for governor of New York, told Good Day NY on Monday that he would not disavow comments he made on Sunday that children should not be 'brainwashed into thinking homosexuality is acceptable.'"

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