Religion & Law

Charter Schools Case Heads to High Court

Posted on October 11, 2010
Atlanta Post: The second round in a case over the local control of public education will be heard Tuesday. Lawyers for seven metro districts head to the Georgia Supreme Court to argue that a state board is illegally opening and funding charter schools.

Iowa pastor to defy federal law to remove justices who backed same-sex ?marriage?

Posted on October 11, 2010
The Desert Sun: "Gordon?s plan is one of several efforts by conservative churches to challenge the IRS on a law they view as unconstitutional. The Alliance Defense Fund, an Arizona organization that promotes conservative biblical values, has sponsored a ?Pulpit Freedom Sunday? in recent years, a day when pastors speak specifically about candidates for office...

Baby Born From Embryo Frozen For 20 Years

Posted on October 10, 2010
"A healthy baby boy was born from an embryo frozen for almost 20 years in what was hailed Sunday as scientific breakthrough that could allow women to start families much later in life."

California lawmakers pass long-overdue budget

Posted on October 08, 2010
Associated Press: "Senators voted 27-9 in favor of the main bill in a legislative package aimed at ending a 100-day budget impasse and bridging a $19 billion budget deficit. They followed a 54-1 Assembly vote on Thursday. The bill, SB870, cleared both chambers with the bare two-thirds majority needed for passage...

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

2nd Circuit: Reference to John 3:16 on Vt. license plate is protected free speech

Posted on October 08, 2010
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit issued a ruling Friday that strikes down a Vermont motor vehicles statute that prohibits personalized license plates with messages that refer to ?religion? or ?deity.?

County Clerk?s office may have duty to accommodate employee with religious objections to processing same-sex domestic partnerships

Posted on October 08, 2010
"So holds Slater v. Douglas County (D. Or. Sept. 24, 2010).

Ruling threatens civilian prosecutions of terrorism defendants

Posted on October 08, 2010
Los Angeles Times: "The Obama administration's prosecution of major foreign terrorism suspects in U.S. civilian courts has hit another roadblock, after a judge in New York disallowed testimony this week from the government's key witness against a prisoner about to stand trial in connection with the U...

Justice Breyer on originalism, the media and the court

Posted on October 08, 2010
Law.com: "But Breyer readily acknowledges that another reason -- not the main reason -- he wrote the book is to counter the concept of originalism. That's the view espoused most of all by Justice Antonin Scalia that the Constitution is frozen in time, and its original words and meaning hold the answers even to the most modern disputes that the founders could not have imagined...

Justice Breyer: ?Now, I?m probably more in dissent?

Posted on October 08, 2010
PBS: "Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer talks to Jeffrey Brown about his new book, 'Making Our Democracy Work: A Judge's View,' the role and responsibilities of the high court, and the shift in dynamics that a new justice can bring."

Kentucky group sues over nixed ?In God We Trust? license plate

Posted on October 08, 2010
http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2010/10/suit-challenges-kentuckys-rejection-of.html

Malta: Church official warns judges who rule for divorce

Posted on October 08, 2010
Times of Malta: "All those who 'cooperate' in the introduction of divorce, including judges who apply the law, would be 'committing a grave sin', according to the head of the Church tribunals." | Via Religion Clause.

Maggie Gallagher: Why do women cohabit with unemployed men?

Posted on October 08, 2010
Maggie Gallagher writing at uExpress.com: "Why do women agree to take in, nurture and economically support men who are not gainfully employed? . . . We once lived in an economy that favored men and disfavored women in education and jobs. Today, the majority of college graduates and even Ph...

Murdered Kansas abortionist?s clinic for sale

Posted on October 08, 2010
Associated Press: "A 'for sale' sign has been posted outside the Kansas medical clinic formerly operated by murdered abortion provider Dr. George Tiller."

Vt. school cancels dance over raunchy moves, drugs

Posted on October 08, 2010
Associated Press: "There isn't going to be a homecoming dance at Vermont's Montpelier High School this year because of concerns about dirty dancing and student drug use."

German Islamic terrorists training near Pakistani border

Posted on October 08, 2010
Associated Press: "Between 15 and 40 Germans and a smaller contingent of other Europeans are believed to be getting militant training in Pakistan's lawless border region, intending to join the Taliban's fight against NATO forces in neighboring Afghanistan or return to Europe and strike at the soft underbelly of those countries...

US homosexual groups deliver demands to Mormons in Utah

Posted on October 08, 2010
Associated Press: "National gay rights activists said Friday they'll descend on Salt Lake City's Mormon church headquarters to deliver more than 100,000 letters asking a senior church leader to recant recent anti-gay statements."

Muslim Cleric: The Flag of Islam will fly over the White House

Posted on October 08, 2010
Salem Communications SRN Insider links to this video featuring an ABC panel discussion about the nature of  Islam and posing the question - should Americans fear Islam.  Rev. Franklin Graham, Gary Bauer and others appear in the video.

Belgium euthanasia: Only half of patient terminations reported as required by law

Posted on October 08, 2010
Wesley J. Smith writing at First Things / Secondhand Smoke: "Euthanasia guidelines don?t work as advertised. We?ve seen that truth evidenced again?in the Netherlands?and again?in Switzerland?and again?in Belgium?and again?in Oregon. [A new study] published in the British Medical Journal shows that in Flanders, Belgium, only half of the euthanasia deaths are reported as required by the law...

Ethics and Public Policy Center amicus brief in Prop. 8 appeal

Posted on October 08, 2010
Edward Whelan has posted the Ethics and Public Policy Center amicus brief in Prop. 8 appeal online here.

Family is under ?permanent attack? by United Nations, says Cardinal

Posted on October 08, 2010
LifeSiteNews: "The Cardinal Archbishop of Guadalajara, Mexico, Juan Sandoval Iñiguez, gave a speech Sunday in which he lashed out at the United Nations and other international organizations that he says are running a campaign to destroy the family."

YouTube censors pro-life sermon seen by millions of Brazilians

Posted on October 08, 2010
LifeSiteNews: "Google's YouTube service decided to give an 'X' rating on Tuesday to a pro-life sermon given by a Brazilian pastor that has been seen by over four million people, and which appears to have had a serious impact on the Brazilian Presidential elections...

American College of Embryology opposes defining embryos as mere ?diagnostic specimens? in CA

Posted on October 08, 2010
Wesley J. Smith writing at First Things / Secondhand Smoke: "The organization believes that regulations should be created that are specific to the field. I don?t know what they have in mind and so won?t comment about that, but the ACE is correct?factually and ethically, embryos are not the same thing as tissues tested by pathologists...

Sale of Boston Catholic hospitals to private firm wins approval

Posted on October 08, 2010
"The purchase agreement requires the new management to maintain the Catholic identity of the hospitals. However, a little-noted provision of the agreement allows the buyers to terminate that Catholic identity if, in their view, it becomes materially burdensome...

?Catholics in US overwhelmingly support same-sex unions?

Posted on October 08, 2010
CatholicCulture.org: "Catholics form a relatively low percentage of participants the Tea Party movement, have similar views to most Americans on abortion, and overwhelmingly support the legal recognition of homosexual unions, according to a survey published by the Public Religion Research Institute...

Book Review: Are religious believers good neighbors and tolerant citizens?

Posted on October 08, 2010
Wilfred M. McClay reviews American Grace by Robert D. Putnam and David E. Campbell in the Wall Street Journal: "Rather than wrangle over matters of theology and science, Robert Putnam and David Campbell focus on extensive survey data to explore the kinds of conduct and attitudes that religious beliefs produce in individuals and groups...

Pat Buchanan: Food stamp nation

Posted on October 08, 2010
Pat Buchanan writing at Townhall: "41.8 million Americans are on food stamps, and the White House estimates 43 million will soon be getting food stamps every month. A seventh of the nation cannot even feed itself. If you would chart America's decline, this program is a good place to begin...

Muslim militia attacks Ethiopian Christians

Posted on October 08, 2010
OneNewsNow: "25 Muslims recently burned down ten homes and left 80 Christians in Jimma homeless. Since then, they have been prevented from rebuilding their homes and are forced to live under trees. But Jonathan Racho, regional manager for Africa at International Christian Concern (ICC), tells OneNewsNow the episode gets more shocking than that...

Judge mulling Mississippi personhood initiative

Posted on October 08, 2010
OneNewsNow: "The constitutional amendment, which is supposed to be on the state ballot in November 2011, would call for recognizing that human life begins at fertilization . . . The presiding judge has taken the arguments and briefs under advisement and will issue an opinion soon...

Healthcare waivers = arbitrary government

Posted on October 08, 2010
OneNewsNow: "Nearly three dozen companies -- McDonald's among them -- will be allowed healthcare waivers in 2011 to keep medical coverage for their employees . . . 'They're in effect . . . creating really arbitrary government where you have to go ask permission to do something -- and you may or may not get it,' [Ed Haislmaier, senior fellow of health policy studies at The Heritage Foundation] says, noting that that results in a lack of consistency from one time to another...

CO: ACLU speaks out against D11 school?s Rosary rules

Posted on October 08, 2010
KKTV: "An announcement made by a Colorado Springs middle school, stipulating how students can wear rosaries, has the ACLU speaking out against the decision. The group says religious liberty does not stop at the entrance to a public school."

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.