Religion & Law

Presbyterian pastor faces religious trial for performing same-sex ?marriages?

Posted on August 23, 2010
MercuryNews.com (Oakland Tribune): "Even as a federal appeals court prepares to weigh same-sex marriage as an issue of man's law, a Bay Area minister is about to face trial for performing such weddings in violation of what her church says is God's law...

Brazilian bishops express hope that presidential debate will inform citizens

Posted on August 23, 2010
Catholic News Agency: "The Conference of Catholic Bishops of Brazil expressed its desire last week that the presidential debate set for today will inform the public, allowing citizens to vote responsibly."

FRC encouraged by preliminary injunction to stop taxpayer funds for unethical, unsafe embryo research

Posted on August 23, 2010
Family Research Council: "Family Research Council President Tony Perkins applauded today's preliminary injunction that for now stops taxpayer funded embryonic stem cell research. Judge Royce Lamberth noted that the imposition of an injunction required that those challenging the government's funding demonstrate a substantial likelihood of success on the merits for their arguments...

ADF: Federal court halts Obama administration?s embryonic stem cell policy

Posted on August 23, 2010
"A federal court Monday issued an order that prevents the Obama administration from carrying out its embryonic stem cell research policy while a lawsuit against it proceeds in court. The court concluded that the policy, which allows such research, is likely to be in violation of a federal law known as the ?Dickey/Wicker Amendment? that prohibits federal funds from being used on research that involves the destruction of human embryos...

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?ACLU welcomes first-ever U.S. report to U.N. Human Rights Council?

Posted on August 23, 2010
ACLU: "The U.S. government today submitted its first-ever Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report to the U.N. Human Rights Council (HRC). As part of the UPR process, nations report to the HRC on their efforts to strengthen human rights commitments and comply with international human rights standards...

Virginia AG Opinion: State can regulate abortion clinics

Posted on August 23, 2010
Washington Post / Virginia Politics: "Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II, who is anti-abortion, has issued a legal opinion allowing greater restrictions on abortion clinics, drawing swift criticism from providers who say it could cause some of the facilities to close...

Russian opinion moving toward ban on abortion

Posted on August 23, 2010
LifeSiteNews: "The independent, non-governmental polling and sociological research agency, Levada Analytical Center, reported that a recent survey of 1,600 Russians found 41 percent of those polled support introducing nationwide restrictions on abortion...

Florida school faces court hearing after banning Bibles on Religious Freedom Day

Posted on August 23, 2010
Liberty Counsel: "Tomorrow Liberty Counsel will meet the Collier County, Florida, School Board in the Fort Myers federal courthouse. This lawsuit challenges the board?s recent ban on Bibles during Religious Freedom Day on school campuses in Collier County, Florida...

Ground Zero imam says U.S. worse than al-Qaeda

Posted on August 23, 2010
Human Events: "'We tend to forget, in the West, that the United States has more Muslim blood on its hands than al-Qaeda has on its hands of innocent non Muslims,' Feisal Abdul Rauf said at a 2005 lecture sponsored by the University of South Australia...

Lambda Legal announces settlement in lawsuit on behalf of lesbian homeowners: Fannie Mae mortgage policies change

Posted on August 23, 2010
Lambda Legal: "Today, Lambda Legal announced the settlement of its lawsuit on behalf of a lesbian couple against Countrywide Financial in the Southern District of New York federal court after the Federal National Mortgage Association, known as Fannie Mae, announced policy changes allowing homeowners to add their domestic partners to their home?s deed without penalty...

Marriage definition challenged in Wyoming federal lawsuit

Posted on August 23, 2010
The complaint alleges: "[T]he State of Wyoming denies its gay and lesbian residents access to marriage by providing in its state law that only a civil marriage 'between a man and woman' is 'valid or recognized in Wyoming.'"

When may religious charitable groups discriminate in employment based on religion?

Posted on August 23, 2010
"A Ninth Circuit panel issued three very interesting opinions on this subject today . . . in Spencer v. World Vision, Inc. . . .

When a public school complex costs $578 million, have we lost our minds?

Posted on August 23, 2010
Maureen Downey writing at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution / Get Schooled: "The AJC has [quite a story] about the new $578 million public school complex opening next month in LA. When schools are cutting days and teachers, this seems a terrible moment to unveil an architectural wonder of a campus...

Christendom is over in the West, says Christian college head

Posted on August 23, 2010
Christian Post: "The new principal of International Christian College says the end of Christendom is the biggest challenge facing the church in the West. Richard Tiplady . . . spoke of the need to re-think church in a post-Christendom and increasingly plural context...

?Survey counters backing of gays in military?

Posted on August 23, 2010
Washington Times: "The Military Culture Coalition hopes the survey by a Republican pollster will help persuade moderate to conservative Democrats to oppose President Obama's campaign promise to lift the ban as final votes in Congress loom. The question is, is the poll too late? The House as well as the Senate Armed Services Committee have passed repeal legislation...

Christian group calls for ?meaningful action? on North Korea

Posted on August 23, 2010
Christian Post: "A U.K.-based Christian human rights group is urging Europe?s foreign ministers to add their support to a U.N. inquiry into crimes against humanity committed in North Korea. Christian Solidarity Worldwide has written to foreign ministers of all EU member states asking them to support the establishment of a U...

Kan. woman drops suit challenging federal flag law

Posted on August 23, 2010
Associated Press: "A member of Kansas' Westboro Baptist Church has agreed to drop federal lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of a law that made it illegal to defile or deface the U.S. flag."

Video ? Alliance Defense Fund Weekly Update ? 2010 August 23

Posted on August 23, 2010
ADF?s Weekly Update is on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMIhmMjXkZs

ACS Convention Panel video: Marriage Equality

Posted on August 23, 2010
American Constitution Society Convention panel: "On June 18, at the 2010 ACS National Convention, a panel of experts discussed 'Marriage Equality: An Update and Preview.' The panel featured: Christopher Hayes, Washington, D.C. Editor, The Nation, Moderator; Mary Bonauto, Civil Rights Project Director, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders; Brian W...

ACLJ gears up new legal challenges to stop Ground mosque; land is partly owned by public utility

Posted on August 23, 2010
ACLJ: "As you also know, we represent Tim Brown, a New York City firefighter who survived the 9-11 terrorist attacks, and filed a lawsuit on his behalf against the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) in New York State Supreme Court in New York on August 4th - the day after the LPC denied the proposed mosque site landmark status...

Monastery plan on Wyoming ranch sparks debate

Posted on August 23, 2010
Associated Press: "A proposal to build a 145,000-square-foot monastery and coffee-roasting barn on a remote Wyoming ranch drew so many opponents and supporters to a public hearing that a second session had to be scheduled."

U.S. district court rules against federal stem cell funding policy

Posted on August 23, 2010
"A U.S. district court issued a preliminary injunction on Monday stopping federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research, saying it involves the destruction of human embryos."

Kevin Theriot: North Korea: Is this where our country is headed?

Posted on August 20, 2010
ADF Attorney Kevin Theriot writing at Speak Up Movement / Churches: "Thank God we?re not as far gone as North Korea, but we?re definitely headed that direction. Christianity Today reports that government officials raided a Christian church service and either executed or jailed all 23 in attendance ...

Pro-life group lobbies Perdue on UNC health plan

Posted on August 20, 2010
The News & Observer: "Students for Life of America has asked Gov. Perdue to investigate a number of issues surrounding the UNC system's new health insurance program for students. The university wants all students to have health insurance and mandates that they buy into a new insurance plan it is offering unless they can prove they have coverage from another source...

Thomas More Society testifies against ?telemed abortions? in Iowa

Posted on August 20, 2010
ChristianNewsWire: "Today, Thomas More Society attorney Tom Brejcha, along with representatives from several pro-life organizations, testified at the Iowa Medical Board hearing to argue against the performance of 'telemed' abortions in the state. The Thomas More Society submitted a letter from special counsel Paul Benjamin Linton that outlined the case against this type of abortion, in which a patient is administered an abortion-inducing drug, RU-486, after meeting with a physician remotely via video conference...

Fight is on over Arizona ?Raza studies? restrictions

Posted on August 20, 2010
WorldNetDaily: "The superintendent of the Arizona Department of Public Education says his agency will consider a refusal by the school district in Tucson to videotape its 'Raza studies' classes as evidence the district is 'deliberately' concealing its agenda ...

Fla. church vows to burn Qurans on 9/11, despite fire dept. objection

Posted on August 20, 2010
USA Today / On Deadline: "A Florida church says it will go ahead with plans to burn copies of the Quran on Sept. 11, despite the city refusing to issue a burn permit, Orlando's Fox35 TV reports."

St. Petersburg authorities issue warning to lawyer for establishing sharia court

Posted on August 20, 2010
Interfax: "The prosecutor's office in Saint Petersburg has issued a warning to Jamaliddin Makhmutov, head of the Al Fatah religious organization, for establishing a Shariah court in the city."

Are the culture wars over?

Posted on August 20, 2010
Yahoo News / The Upshot: "Many national Republicans are apparently already practicing this tactic [staying quiet on same-sex "marriage"], as a federal judge's decision to strike down California's gay marriage ban was met with relative silence from GOP leaders this month...

Some construction workers refuse to build mosque

Posted on August 20, 2010
MyFoxNY.com: "Some union construction workers say they will refuse to help build an Islamic mosque and cultural center planned for Lower Manhattan."

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