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Constitutionally Correct 
Advocates "religious freedom", though not a strong separation of church and state.
Post Frequency: 82.5/day Last Entry: November 19, 2009 at 18:56:24 Recent Entries: 17155
By Alliance Defense Fund
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Deputy Proposes Change In Russia?s National Anthem to Remove Reference To God
Posted on November 19, 2009Religion Clause Blog: "Interfax reported yesterday that a member of the Russian State Duma representing the Communist Party has introduced a bill to change one line in the Russian Federation's national anthem."
Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel presents 2009 Child Advocate of the Year award
Posted on November 19, 2009West Palm Beach Children's Health Examiner: "Ms. Tucci is also an Instructor at South University, teaching an ABA-Approved Paralegal Program since 2004. She is a member of the Florida Bar, the Palm Beach County Bar Association. She is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University and Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center...
?N.J. residents support gay marriage by narrow margin, poll says?
Posted on November 19, 2009NJ.com: "The poll, conducted between Nov. 6 and 10, found 46 percent of adult residents want to extend the right to gay couples while 42 percent oppose it. Still undecided were 12 percent of respondents."
Gary McCaleb on the Bott Radio Network: S.D. pro-life group no longer denied access to school campus
Posted on November 19, 2009ADF attorney Gary McCaleb appeared on the Bott Radio Network with Dick Bott to discuss this: S.D. pro-life group no longer denied access to school campus. The MP3 runs about 27 minutes.
?Philippine gay group fights to contest elections?
Posted on November 19, 2009AP: "A Philippine gay rights group is waging a legal battle to be allowed to run in next year's polls after the Elections Commission ruled it cannot register as a political party on grounds that it advocates immorality . . . "
Europe dumps democracy, EU is basically a cartel
Posted on November 19, 2009Paul Belien writing at Hudson New York: "The new European superstate, however, is not a democracy. It has an elected parliament, but the European Parliament has no legislative powers, nor does it control the EU?s executive bodies. The latter, who also have legislative power overriding national legislation, are made up of ?commissioners...
NY court: ?Married gay couples entitled to benefits?
Posted on November 19, 2009Associated Press: "The lawsuit challenged the granting of those benefits by the state Civil Service Department and Westchester County, and was upheld in a lower court. The lower court's ruling was challenged by the Alliance Defense Fund, which has challenged similar decisions nationwide...
N.Y. court: ?Married gay couples entitled to benefits?
Posted on November 19, 2009USA Today (AP): "New York's top court on Thursday rejected a Christian legal group's challenge to some government benefits provided to same-sex couples legally married elsewhere and now living in New York . . . There was no immediate comment from the Alliance Defense Fund or Empire State Pride Agenda, a leading advocate for gay rights in New York...
?New York?s top court upholds benefits to same-sex couples?
Posted on November 19, 2009"New York's top court today upheld the rights of Westchester County and the state to legally extend benefits to same-sex couples married in other states . . . The Alliance Defense Fund of Scottsdale, Ariz. argued that since same-sex marriage is not legal in New York, state and local governments should not extend equal benefits to gay couples ...
?Anti-gay marriage group files suit?
Posted on November 19, 2009dcist: "Totally expected, but Bishop Harry Jackson and conservative legal outfit Alliance Defense Fund have gone ahead and filed a lawsuit in D.C. Superior Court to try to force a ballot measure on same-sex marriage, as the Post reports."
D.C. lawsuit requests people?s voice
Posted on November 19, 2009OneNewsNow: "'That's what this is about, is appealing to the Court in order to vindicate the people's right to vote on what is probably the biggest social issue of our time, and that is the definition of marriage,' contends Tim Tracey of ADF."
D.C. board refuses to let voters add same-sex ?marriage? ban to ballot
Posted on November 19, 2009Catholic News Agency: "On November 18, the Alliance Defense Fund, a legal alliance which seeks to defend religious liberty, filed suit against the District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics on behalf of Stand4MarriageDC, saying that the board precluded the right of citizens in the district to vote for or against the definition of marriage...
Macias safe for now, but the battle isn?t over
Posted on November 19, 2009OneNewsNow: "'We learned by letter from the college that the recall election has in fact been voided and violated state law and that Mr. Macias is no longer threatened with being recalled by the students,' [David Hacker] reports."
The ?Diversity? Sham: At New York University, intellect gives way to ritualized emotion.
Posted on November 19, 2009James Taranto writes at the Wall Street Journal: ". . . there is reason to doubt whether 'diversity,' as practiced by American higher education today, has any educational benefits at all--never mind whether those benefits are sufficient to justify discrimination...
?It?s killing a baby, plain and simple?
Posted on November 19, 2009WorldNetDailya: "More topically, the activist group Alliance Defense Fund is agitating for a 14th murder charge against Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the Islamist terrorist who "allegedly" killed 13 people during the shooting at Fort Hood that left 30 other people wounded...
Same-sex ?marriage? opponents sue to force referendum
Posted on November 19, 2009Washington Post: "'The people of D.C. have a right to vote on the definition of marriage,' said Austin R. Nimocks, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, the conservative legal group representing Jackson. 'The D.C. Charter guarantees the people the right to vote, and the council cannot amend the charter for any reason, much less to deny citizens the right to vote...
George Will: ?Fighting a Coercion Clause? ? States may hold healthcare trumpcard
Posted on November 19, 2009George Will has this post at Townhall discussing various ways in which states could challenge a federal healthcare takover. His discussion begins with a discussion of a pending measure on the Arizona ballot.
GOP turns up the heat over bringing Gitmo prisoners to U.S. soil
Posted on November 19, 2009The Hill: "Hoekstra formally introduced a discharge petition to force Democrats to hold a vote on GOP-sponsored legislation that effectlvely would bar the administration from transferring more than 200 prisoner detainees held at Gitmo to the United States...
The starving American spirit
Posted on November 19, 2009The Hill: "We are supposed to be the land of prosperity, but now a new Department of Agriculture study finds that 25 percent of our children can't count on getting enough to eat. One in four faces the possibility every night of going to bed hungry . ...
N.J. Democrats differ on whether ?gay marriage? should be voted on during lame duck session
Posted on November 19, 2009NJ.com: "As lawmakers prepare for the lame-duck session beginning Monday, top Senate Democrats remain split on whether the issue of gay marriage should be taken up before Governor-elect Chris Christie takes office in January."
Hill update: Bad Day for Marriage and Life Issues on the Hill
Posted on November 19, 2009The FRC Action Cloakroom Blog provides this report on today's Congressional calendar and activities.
Feldblum Running Scared
Posted on November 19, 2009Catholic League: "In 2006, Feldblum signed a statement, 'Beyond Same-Sex Marriage,' that was the most radical, irresponsible assault on marriage and the family ever written . . . Feldblum, however, sensing that her nomination is in trouble, announced just days ago that she wants her name taken off the anti-marriage and anti-family document...
School District Backs Down From Plan to Hide Kids? Medical Info from Parents
Posted on November 19, 2009Pacific Justice Institute: "At a packed school board meeting last night, the San Juan Unified School District reversed course and voted 3-2 not to go forward with a proposal to hide information from parents about student absences for so-called 'confidential medical services,' such as abortions...
Reid Introduces Senate Health Bill That Mandates Federally Subsidized Abortion
Posted on November 19, 2009"Senate Majority Harry Reid (D.-Nev.) late Wednesday published the final text of a Senate health care bill that would mandate federally subsidized abortion."
How to Shift Law Firms to a Performance-Based Compensation System
Posted on November 19, 2009The American Lawyer: "The legal industry loves its traditions, and one of the most entrenched -- embraced by virtually every Am Law 100 firm -- is lockstep associate compensation. But over time, even the best traditions can become anachronisms, and that is the case with lockstep...
10 Tips for Beginning a Successful Legal Career
Posted on November 19, 2009Law.com (Legal Intelligencer): "As another class of law school graduates begins their careers as practicing attorneys, we started to reflect upon our early days as lawyers. Looking back, we realized just how much we didn't know then, and we commented that we wish someone had given us better advice prior to starting our new positions...
Harvard Law to Finance Fellowships for Jobless Graduates
Posted on November 19, 2009Law.com (National Law Journal): "The legal job market is dismal for third-year law students -- even those at Harvard Law School. And so administrators at the school have created something of a job safety net in the form of a fellowship program for students who have exhausted other job options...
9th Circuit denies Campaign for California Families? bid to intervene in Prop 8 suit
Posted on November 19, 2009"Because the existing parties will adequately represent the Campaign?s interests, we affirm the district court?s denial of intervention as of right."
TN: Sex-themed shop upsets Sylvan Park residents
Posted on November 19, 2009Tennessean: "The new adult store at 5329 Charlotte Ave., just past Bobbi?s Dairy Dip, has ignited commotion among residents and stakeholders in the modest West Nashville neighborhood who fear its presence will threaten revitalization in the area."
AP Exclusive: Muslim countries seek blasphemy ban
Posted on November 19, 2009Associated Press: "Islamic nations are mounting a campaign for an international treaty to protect religious symbols and beliefs from mockery ? essentially, a ban on blasphemy."
Belgian Premier Van Rompuy named first EU President
Posted on November 19, 2009Wall Street Journal: "European Union leaders picked the low-key prime minister of Belgium and a British trade representative who's never held elective office as the bloc's first president and foreign minister."
Christmas could be cancelled by British government
Posted on November 19, 2009Christian Telegraph: "Christmas could be cancelled by a bill being put forward by the Labour government, the Catholic bishops of England and Wales have said."
Senate Confirms David Hamilton, Obama?s First Pro-Abortion Judicial Nominee
Posted on November 19, 2009"The Senate voted today 59-39 to confirm a pro-abortion federal judge President Barack Obama appointed to become a new appeals court justice."
Virginia: The Bible comes to county classrooms
Posted on November 19, 2009Chesterfield Observer: "Beginning next fall, county high school students will have the option of studying the best selling book of all time: the Bible. The Chesterfield School Board voted unanimously last week to approve the new elective course."
Second lawsuit attacks Florida school funding
Posted on November 19, 2009Google News (AP): "State officials are facing a second lawsuit filed in as many weeks accusing them of shortchanging public schools in violation of a state constitutional provision requiring a 'high quality' education for Florida's children . . . "
Washington: Foes fighting Planned Parenthood clinic for Pasco
Posted on November 19, 2009Seattle Times: "Opponents of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Pasco say they may appeal the city council's decision approving a special permit."
?Reid uncertain of tally as healthcare bill heads for rare Saturday vote?
Posted on November 19, 2009The Hill: "At a rally with supporters of the healthcare reform bill, Reid would not say he had secured commitments from all 60 members of the Democratic Conference to vote for the legislation ? an absolute necessity given unanimous opposition from the 40 Senate Republicans...
House Oversight Committee passes Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act
Posted on November 19, 2009"The legislation makes available certain employment benefits, including health care, to the same-sex domestic partners of federal employees."
Envoy?s Speech Signals Softening of U.S. Hostility to International Court
Posted on November 19, 2009Law.com (AP): "The American war crimes ambassador said Thursday in the Hague that the U.S. is committed to ending impunity for crimes against humanity, in a speech signaling a softening of hostility toward the International Criminal Court . . . "
NY high court sidesteps central issue in cases that challenged same-sex ?marriage? recognition
Posted on November 19, 2009New York?s highest court did not address the central issue in a ruling Thursday on two lawsuits that challenged the state?s attempt to recognize out-of-state same-sex ?marriages? by state and county officials, say attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund who brought the suits.
Harvard Medical Dean: Health ?Reform? Gets a Failing Grade
Posted on November 19, 2009Jeffrey S. Flier write at the Wall Street Journal: "As the dean of Harvard Medical School I am frequently asked to comment on the health-reform debate. I'd give it a failing grade . . . Speeches and news reports can lead you to believe that proposed congressional legislation would tackle the problems of cost, access and quality...
Calling for Common Sense About Christmas, Rutherford Institute Issues Legal Guidelines for Celebrating Christmas in Public, at School or Work
Posted on November 19, 2009Christian Newswire: "Hoping to alleviate any confusion over the do's and don'ts of celebrating Christmas in schools, workplaces and elsewhere, The Rutherford Institute has issued its 'Twelve Rules of Christmas' guidelines, which are available here."
ADF to Ohio town: No need to cancel Christmas parade for fear of lawsuit
Posted on November 19, 2009Alliance Defense Fund attorneys sent a letter Thursday to the mayor, solicitor, and council members of the village of Amelia, urging them to reconsider cancelling this year?s 29th annual Christmas parade.
Embryonic stem cell therapy closer to human trials
Posted on November 19, 2009Breitbart (AFP): "Embryonic stem cell therapy got a step closer to the clinic Thursday after US researchers said they filed a request for government approval of human trials."
Indian girls fight back against child marriage
Posted on November 19, 2009Reuters: "'Girls are gradually saying "no" to child marriage,' said Anil Gulati, a spokesman for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which works with authorities to fight child marriage."
EU Leaders to Choose President today in Secret ?Soviet Style? Meetings
Posted on November 19, 2009LifeSiteNews: "But a German diplomat has dropped the biggest hint so far that the leaders will choose the little known Belgian Prime Minister, Herman Van Rompuy, as the first President of the European Union."
Pro-Life Groups: Reid?s Senate Health Care Bill Contains Massive Abortion Funding
Posted on November 19, 2009LifeNews: "Two leading pro-life organizations that have analyzed the new 2,000-page government-run health care bill released by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid late yesterday say the legislation contains massive abortion funding and a fake amendment that does not truly ban it...
Public Opinion and Free Speech
Posted on November 19, 2009Nathaniel Persily writes at the Volokh Conspiracy: "It seems pretty clear that the public opinion trends concerning freedom of expression are pointing in a more libertarian direction. We can see that in responses to questions regarding flag burning, hate speech, and indecent speech...
Pew: Abortion plays small role in health reform opposition
Posted on November 19, 2009Pew Research Center for People and the Press: "While most Americans oppose government funding of abortion, a new Pew Research Center survey finds that concern about abortion funding plays only a small role in driving opposition to the health care reform legislation under consideration by Congress...
Texas marriages in legal limbo because of constitutional amendment, candidate says
Posted on November 19, 2009Star-Telegram: "Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston lawyer and Democratic candidate for attorney general, says that a 22-word clause in a 2005 constitutional amendment designed to ban gay marriages erroneously endangers the legal status of all marriages in the state ...
Think-Tank Charges U.S. Conservatives With Using African Clergy In LGBT Battles
Posted on November 19, 2009Religion Clause Blog: "Political Research Associates, a Massachusetts-based progressive think tank, yesterday released a 42-page report titled Globalizing the Culture Wars: U.S. Conservatives, African Churches and Homophobia."
Group: File 14th murder charge in Fort Hood massacre
Posted on November 18, 2009Atlanta Headlines Examiner: "'All murder victims ? born and pre-born ? deserve equal justice,' ADF Senior Legal Counsel Steven H. Aden said in a news release. 'Women who volunteer to protect our country deserve to know that the government will enforce the laws that protect their children...
Pastors to Holder: Bible still condemns homosexuality
Posted on November 18, 2009WorldNetDaily: "The Alliance Defense Fund earlier issued an analysis calling the proposal a 'grave threat' to the First Amendment. Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley explained it 'provides special penalties based on what people think, feel, or believe ...
Bridgeton student sues school district for forbidding her to take part in abortion protest
Posted on November 18, 2009Press of Atlantic City: "'The First Amendment protects both religious and political speech, so it doesn't make a difference,' said David Cortman, an attorney for the Alliance Defense Fund, which is working on the case . . . 'The teen pregnancies in that county are the highest in the state,' Cortman said...
NJ teen barred from abortion protest sues school
Posted on November 18, 2009Associated Press: "ADF senior counsel David Cortman says his group has intervened in dozens of cases across the country over the six years the protest has been held and has filed suits in about a dozen. He said some have been successful and others are still pending ...
Bridgeton student sues school district over abortion protest
Posted on November 18, 2009Cumberland County News: "ADF senior counsel David Cortman said his group has intervened in dozens of cases across the country over the six years the protest has been held and has filed suits in about a dozen. He said some have been successful and others are still pending...
Lawsuits take tolls on cities, counties
Posted on November 18, 2009NCPA Policy Digest: "A study conducted by California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse found that eight of the largest cities and nine of the largest counties in California spent $504.1 million to deal with lawsuits over fiscal 2007 and 2008."
Ohio: Shelby Council defeats prayer legislation
Posted on November 18, 2009WMFD: "Shelby City Council defeated legislation Monday night to permit a moment of silence and prayer before meetings but it is expected to be addressed again, according to Mayor Bill Freytag."
David French: Intriguing developments at the Supreme Court
Posted on November 18, 2009David French, Director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, writing at National Review?s Phi Beta Cons blog: "The Supreme Court may be preparing to decide ? once and for all ? whether student groups have a right to reserve membership and leadership for those who agree with the mission and purpose of the organization...
Same-Sex ?Marriage? and Taxes
Posted on November 18, 2009Stave Black, Same-Sex Marriage and Taxes (2008). Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law, Vol. 22, pp. 327-357, 2008. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1507846 "Frequently the proponents of same-sex marriage cite the difference in tax treatment as one of the reasons that same-sex couples receive discriminatory treatment...
Illinois: Curtain falls on Stages ?adult club? following zoning battle
Posted on November 18, 2009The Daily Journal: "Stages, the adult entertainment venue at 1045 S. East Ave., closed its doors earlier this month after a five-year zoning battle."
Europeans meet (secretly) to choose first-ever EU President
Posted on November 18, 2009Soeren Kern writing at Pajamas Media: "In the absence of a consensus candidate, the contest has degenerated into a race to the bottom. In secretive backroom horse-trading, the center-right, which controls the European Parliament, has staked its claim to the presidency; the center-left will get the foreign policy job...
9th Circuit judge orders compensation for denial of same-sex ?spousal? benefits
Posted on November 18, 2009"Reinhardt deemed the denial of healthcare and other benefits to the spouse of federal public defender Brad Levenson to be a violation of the Constitution's guarantee of due process and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, which is prohibited by California state law...
?Austria to allow civil partnerships for homosexual couples?
Posted on November 18, 2009AFP: "Austria's government agreed a new law Tuesday allowing civil partnerships for homosexual couples, although ceremonies at the civil registry's office will still be banned."
Poll: Majority favor abortion funding ban
Posted on November 18, 2009CNN: "A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Wednesday morning indicates that 61 percent of the public opposes using public money for abortions for women who can not afford the procedure, with 37 percent in favor of allowing the use of federal funds...
Abortion bill approved by Utah legislative committee
Posted on November 18, 2009Deseret News: "A bill that would make seeking an illegal abortion a second-degree felony as well as remove any immunity for Utah women seeking illegal abortions was approved by a legislative committee Wednesday morning."
Canada: McGill pro-life student club suspended
Posted on November 18, 2009CBC News: "An anti-abortion club has had its campus rights suspended by McGill University's student body council . . . Choose Life has been criticized on different Canadian campuses for distributing graphic anti-abortion literature, including on McGill's downtown campus...
?DC same-sex opponents file in federal court after failed ballot effort?
Posted on November 18, 2009SheWired.com: "Attorneys for the Alliance Defense Fund said the suit was filed in D.C. Superior Court. Jackson and other same-sex marriage opponents are vowing an extensive court battle over the issue."
NJ teen sues school claiming censorship
Posted on November 17, 2009Associated Press: "A New Jersey high school student has sued her school claiming administrators kept her from participating in a day of silent protest against abortion . . . Her lawsuit was filed Friday in U.S. District Court by a lawyer hired by the Alliance Defense Fund, a Scottsdale, Ariz...
Deny vaccine, deny citizenship
Posted on November 17, 2009OneNewsNow: "A Florida teenager could be denied citizenship for rejecting the HPV vaccine which helps prevent an STD that leads to one form of cervical cancer . . . 'The facts of the case are that a 17-year-old British girl who has been adopted by her mother who is a U...
?Juxtaposed Notions: Taking STD vaccines shows caution, not immorality?
Posted on November 17, 2009LSU Daily Reveille: "Davis has met nearly all requirements for U.S. citizenship, but has yet to receive full status because of her refusal to take Gardasil, which has been a required vaccination for female immigrants since 2008. Gardasil is designed to inoculate women against cervical cancer ...
New Jersey student stopped from joining national pro-life event against abortion
Posted on November 17, 2009LifeNews: "'Pro-life students shouldn't be discriminated against for expressing their beliefs,' said ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman. 'The Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity is a non-disruptive, student-led event occurring outside of instructional time,' he told LifeNews...
NJ school board insists on aborting student pro-life event
Posted on November 17, 2009Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund filed a lawsuit Friday on behalf of a student against the Bridgeton Board of Education after officials at Bridgeton High School prohibited her from expressing a religious viewpoint . . .
Steven H. Aden on the Bob Dutko Show: The 14th Victim at Fort Hood
Posted on November 17, 2009ADF attorney Steven H. Aden appeared on the Bob Dutko Show to discuss the unborn victim of the Fort Hood shooting. The MP3 runs just over 5 minutes. ADF Media Information: ADF urges prosecution for death of 14th Fort Hood victim
The worst is yet to come: Unemployed Americans should hunker down for more job losses
Posted on November 17, 2009NY Daily News: "Think the worst is over? Wrong. Conditions in the U.S. labor markets are awful and worsening. While the official unemployment rate is already 10.2% and another 200,000 jobs were lost in October, when you include discouraged workers and partially employed workers the figure is a whopping 17...
Ala. legislator seeks to block same-sex benefits
Posted on November 17, 2009Gadsden Times: "Rep. DuWayne Bridges, R-Valley, said he has prepared a bill for the legislative session beginning in January. The bill would prohibit public universities from receiving state funds if they offer benefits to same-sex partners."
Hoffman ?unconcedes? in N.Y.-23 House race
Posted on November 17, 2009The Hill: "Hoffman conceded the race on Election Night after learning he trailed Owens by 5,335 votes. But the Syracuse Post-Standard reported last week that the margin had shrunk to 3,026 votes after recanvassing."
China questions costs of U.S. healthcare reform
Posted on November 17, 2009Reuters: "Guess what? It turns out the Chinese are kind of curious about how President Barack Obama?s healthcare reform plans would impact America?s huge fiscal deficit. Government officials are using his Asian trip as an opportunity to ask the White House questions...
Hunger ?kills 17,000 children per day?
Posted on November 17, 2009CNN: "Somewhere in the world, a child dies of hunger every five seconds -- even though the planet has more than enough food for all."
Dems break GOP filibuster of 7th Circuit Nominee with help from the GOP
Posted on November 17, 2009". . . The 70-29 vote limited debate over the qualifications of U.S. District Judge David Hamilton of Indiana, and assured his elevation to the Chicago-based appeals court . . . "
Pro-Abortion groups to target Rep. Joe Pitts in 2010
Posted on November 17, 2009Lancaster Online: "National abortion-rights groups are targeting Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts in next year's election, saying the health-care amendment he co-authored threatens women's 'fundamental right' to have the procedure."
?Personhood amendment would ban pill RU-486?
Posted on November 17, 2009Las Vegas Review Journal: "The leader of a Nevada organization that wants to outlaw abortion acknowledged Monday that passage of its Personhood amendment would prohibit women from using pills that induce abortion."
NC: County settles with strip club owner
Posted on November 17, 2009Burlington Times-News: "The settlement came after Barbour met with County Attorney Clyde Albright on June 16 and 'expressed a desire to compromise and settle any and all civil disputes arising out of or in any way connected with the matters .... and the issues involved' in the civil action, the agreement states...
Lawmakers Debate School Bullying Bills
Posted on November 17, 2009TheBostonChannel.com: "The victims of school-aged bullies may be getting some help from Beacon Hill, where legislators are considering several proposals that would crack down on students who threaten other kids."
?Catholic bishops say gay marriage hurts society?
Posted on November 17, 2009AP: "The bishops say they are disturbed that a growing number of people view marriage as a private or individual matter, instead of an issue critical to building a healthy society." USCCB press release: Bishops To Debate, Vote On Pastoral Letter On Marriage At November Meeting Updated USCCB press release appear here.
Some pro-life groups oppose NV Personhood Initiative
Posted on November 17, 2009Mercury News (AP): "Leaders of Nevada Life and Nevada Eagle Forum on Tuesday said while the Nevada Personhood initiative may have been filed with good intent, it is vague and won't stop abortion because of existing federal law."
Florida Democratic hopeful says she favors ?gay adoption?
Posted on November 17, 2009Miami Herald: "Alex Sink, Florida's chief financial officer and the leading Democratic candidate for governor, told the state's largest gay rights group Sunday that homosexuals should be allowed to adopt if it's in the children's 'best interest.'"
Maine Churches Threatened with IRS Complaints for Supporting Marriage
Posted on November 17, 2009Church Report: "'This is an all-too-obvious attempt to use the IRS to intimidate pastors and churches as a means of punishment and to get them to be quiet,' said [Erik] Stanley. 'We encourage the churches of Maine not to be intimidated and to contact us if they are contacted by the IRS...
NJ teen barred from abortion protest sues school
Posted on November 17, 2009Associated Press: "A New Jersey high school student claims in a federal lawsuit that administrators violated her religious and free-speech rights by prohibiting her participation in a silent abortion protest . . . Her lawsuit was filed Friday by a lawyer hired by the Alliance Defense Fund in Scottsdale, Ariz...
Iran sentences 5 to death in postelection turmoil
Posted on November 17, 2009Breitbar (AP): "Iran has sentenced five people to death over the unrest that followed the country's disputed June presidential election, state television reported Tuesday."
?Report: Homosexuality no factor in abusive priests? even though most victims were male?
Posted on November 17, 2009Breitbart (AP): "Researcher Margaret Smith from John Jay College of Criminal Justice said the study so far has found no connection between being gay and an increased likelihood of abuse." USCCB press release (doesn't mention homosexuality): John Jay Researchers Offer Update On Causes And Context Study; Early Findings Confirm Steep Decline In Sexual Abuse Cases After 1985, Emphasizethe Importance Of Seminary Training
David French: A Victory in Sacramento, For Now
Posted on November 17, 2009David French, Director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, writing at National Review?s Phi Beta Cons blog: "Student activists ? working with allied administrators ? removed Steve from office and launched an illegal recall effort after he refused to censor a pro-life display on Constitution Day...
DC board won?t allow the people to vote on marriage
Posted on November 17, 2009"A measure to let voters decide whether to ban same-sex marriages in D.C. cannot go on the ballot because it would violate a city human rights law, the Board of Elections and Ethics ruled Tuesday."
?Democrats poised to end GOP court filibuster?
Posted on November 17, 2009AP: "Democrats, with a bit of Republican help, are expected to exceed the 60 votes needed to limit debate on U.S. District Judge David Hamilton, assuring his confirmation to the Chicago-based appeals court by a simple majority of the 100-member Senate...
?Gay couples blast federal Defense of Marriage Act?
Posted on November 17, 2009Boston Herald (AP): "In court documents filed Tuesday, the couples say the federal Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional because it denies them access to federal benefits given to other married couples . . ."
D.C. Council agrees to Dec. 1 vote on bill to redefine marriage
Posted on November 17, 2009"The D.C. Council officially agreed today to vote on the bill legalizing same-sex marriage on Dec. 1, clearing the way for the measure to head to Congress for its review around New Year's."
President Obama names two lawyers to FTC slots
Posted on November 17, 2009Law.coma: "The White House said late Monday that President Barack Obama has made two choices for the Federal Trade Commission: a business litigator from Los Angeles who worked on his presidential campaign and a consumer protection regulator who spent most of her career in Vermont...
Ariz. private-school tax-credit scholarship program saved the state up to $186 million
Posted on November 17, 2009A Baylor University economics professor told lawmakers on Monday that Arizona's private-school tax-credit scholarship program saved the state $44 million to $186 million last year."
U.S. to ?engage? the International Criminal Court
Posted on November 17, 2009"For the first time in nearly eight years, the United States will participate in a conference with members of the International Criminal Court, a decision that signals growing U.S. support for a war crimes tribunal the Bush administration once shunned...
Swiss Government Tries to Stop ?Suicide Tourists?
Posted on November 17, 2009TIME: "Debbie Purdy plans on going to Switzerland to end her life. But the Swiss government wants to tighten restrictions on assisted suicide in an attempt to reduce 'suicide tourism.'"
EU turns down Palestinian recognition plan
Posted on November 17, 2009CBC: "Israel has threatened to void past accords if the Palestinians act on their own."
Wisconsin: Nativity scene moves to church site
Posted on November 17, 2009HTRNews.com: "After Thanksgiving, the Manitowoc County Catholic Women?s Club will erect its annual nativity scene at the St. Francis of Assisi Faith Formation Center, 1001 Marshall St., club member Pat Korlesky said Tuesday . . . A lawsuit filed last December by the Freedom From Religion objecting ...
Record profits for Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North and South Dakota; gov?t funding increases 21%
Posted on November 17, 2009LifeNews: "Total revenues from 2007 to 2008 rose nearly 11 percent as Planned Parenthood raked in almost $3 million more . . . Total revenues from government funds increased 21% . . . "
Houston: ?Ministers, conservatives work for Parker?s defeat: Group opposes a lesbian in office?
Posted on November 17, 2009Houston Chronicle: "The group is motivated by concerns about a ?gay takeover? of City Hall, given that two other candidates in the five remaining City Council races are also openly gay, as well as national interest driven by the possibility that Houston could become the first major U...
ACLU threatens Ohio school over student refusing to stand for the pledge
Posted on November 17, 2009ACLU: "Over the past several weeks when the student has declined to take part in the Pledge, the supervising teacher sends her to the assistant principal?s office. She has been repeatedly written up by administrators and threatened with disciplinary action if she continues to refuse to stand up during the Pledge...
Court turns down student over religious speech
Posted on November 16, 2009AP: "The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a student who complained that high school officials violated her constitutional rights when they turned off her microphone during her religion-tinged graduation speech."
NC: Commissioners? prayer leads to federal court
Posted on November 16, 2009OneNewsNow: "ADF attorney Mike Johnson tells OneNewsNow a federal magistrate ruled against the county, saying the prayers mentioned Jesus too many times. 'That's precisely what the finding was,' affirms Johnson. 'It is rather incredible to believe that it's come to that...
ADF pushes for 14th Ft. Hood victim
Posted on November 16, 2009OneNewsNow: "Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) wants the accused Fort Hood shooter, Major Nadil Malik Hasan, charged with an additional murder . . . 'The Uniform Code of Military Justice reflects the federal Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which was passed in 2005 to protect unborn children,' the attorney explains...
Maine churches need not fear IRS
Posted on November 16, 2009OneNewsNow: "Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) is prepared to protect churches in Maine from the opposition of homosexual advocates . . . Stanley says his legal firm is doing this 'because pastors and churches have a right to speak freely about biblical truths and to even support directly legislative efforts such as Question 1, which was on the ballot in Maine and rejected same-sex marriage in that state...
Law signed extending ?hate crime? protections
Posted on November 16, 2009The Christian Century: "With the stroke of a pen, President Obama expanded federal hate-crime laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected categories . . . 'This law is a grave threat to the First Amendment because it provides special penalties based on what people think, feel or believe,' said Erik Stanley ...
Sacramento College student body president back after pro-life display fight
Posted on November 16, 2009LifeNews: "'Respecting people?s First Amendment rights is worthy of praise, not punishment,' said ADF Litigation Staff Counsel David Hacker. 'The recall election against Steve was wrongly motivated and flawed. The entire process against him began because he stood up for the free speech rights of a pro-life group...
Forsyth County: Costly prayer
Posted on November 16, 2009Winston-Salem Journal Editorial: "Judge Trevor Sharp of the Middle District of North Carolina found last week that the board's prayer policy violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution, which bars government from establishing a religious practice ...
NH group holding summit on conservative issues
Posted on November 16, 2009Nashua Telegraph: "Cornerstone Policy Research is holding a summit on conservative issues at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics. National speakers include . . . Austin Nimmocks of the Alliance Defense Fund." Cornerstone Policy Research
Churches win in equal access debate
Posted on November 16, 2009OneNewsNow: "A California city has had a change of heart related to church activities in city facilities. Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorney Daniel Blomberg explains that the case boils down to the fact that public facilities are indeed public facilities -- and that churches, which are part of the public, have equal rights of access...
?Gay marriage supporters threaten to strip churches of tax exemption?
Posted on November 16, 2009Christian Post: "Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund, however, reject the claim that churches violated IRS policy. 'Pastors and churches have a right to speak about biblical truths from the pulpit without fear of punishment,' said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley...
?Washington Blade, the nation?s oldest LGBT paper ceases publication?
Posted on November 16, 2009ChicagoNow.com: "Washington Blade, the nations oldest LGBT newspaper has been shut down by it's publishers."
Supreme Court seeks brief from Solicitor General in suit against the Vatican
Posted on November 16, 2009SCOTUS Blog reports on the suit here and here.
?The time is now for the New Jersey Legislature to act on gay marriage?
Posted on November 16, 2009Steve Goldman of Garden State Equality writes at NewJerseyNewsroom.com: "Our society should be celebrating Louise and Marsha. But because of the civil union law that falls short of marriage equality, they and their children are instead denied equal protection under the law...
Rees Lloyd: End ACLU?s assault on memorials
Posted on November 16, 2009Rees Lloyd writes in the Press Enterprise: "On Veterans Day, many Americans visited veterans memorials as Americans have for years. Today, however, veterans memorials on public land are under threat from establishment of religion clause lawsuits. These lawsuits are being filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on the behalf of individuals who complain that they are offended by the sight of a cross at a veterans memorial...
Arizona may sue tuition groups for money
Posted on November 16, 2009The Arizona Republic carries this distorted report about the Attorney General's attack on School Tuition Organizations.
Senator Orrin Hatch Responds to Professor Carl Tobias on Judicial Nominations
Posted on November 16, 2009Findlaw: "Professor Carl Tobias recently argued that Senate Republicans are keeping President Obama from appointing federal judges. He is wrong on both his facts and his conclusions. As a reminder, the Democratic majority is 60-40 in the Senate and 12-7 on the Judiciary Committee...
Evolution?s classroom crisis
Posted on November 16, 2009Riazat Butt writes at The Guardian: "To people wondering why creationism was getting any kind of platform, Anglican priest Michael Roberts offers a reminder. Creationism is totally untrue. It exposes people of the book ? many of whom, among them distinguished speakers at this conference, see no contradiction between evolutionary theory and their faith ? to ridicule...
Robertson?s remarks put McDonnell in a bind
Posted on November 16, 2009Washington Post: "Virginia Muslims are calling on McDonnell (R) to disavow comments made by the Virginia Beach religious broadcaster last week in response to the shootings at Fort Hood, Tex., in which Robertson asserted that Islam is 'not a religion' but a 'violent political system' and that those who practice it should be treated like members of a communist or fascist party...
?FFRF charges school district discriminates against atheists, gays, and more?
Posted on November 16, 2009Examiner.com: "The Freedom From Religion Foundation, responding to complaints from concerned Indianapolis taxpayers, has sent a letter of strong objection to the Indianapolis Public School system for its policy of censorship of web content that promotes or provides information about 'atheistic views...
Wisconsin: School chastised for ?prayer vigil?
Posted on November 16, 2009The Badger Herald: "An e-mail sent by University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to inform students of a 'prayer vigil' for a student killed in the Fort Hood shootings was met with criticism from a Madison-based nontheism group, claiming UW-Whitewater was out of its jurisdiction as a public university to invite the student body to pray...
Obama Backers Fear Opportunities to Reshape Judiciary Are Slipping Away
Posted on November 16, 2009NY Times: "President Obama has sent the Senate far fewer judicial nominations than former President George W. Bush did in his first 10 months in office, deflating the hopes of liberals that the White House would move quickly to reshape the federal judiciary after eight years of Republican appointments...
Steven H. Aden: ?The Fourteenth Victim?
Posted on November 16, 2009ADF attorney Steven H. Aden writes at the Church Report: "Army prosecutors announced today that the accused Fort Hood shooter, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, will face 13 counts of premeditated murder for the shooting rampage that also left dozens of others wounded...
Maine churches and the IRS?what is a political campaign?
Posted on November 16, 2009Tips-Q: "This was not a 'legislative issue' as claimed by ADF. That is defined by the IRS pretty much as one would expect ? matters before a legislative body. IRS regulations on campaign activity are somewhat ambiguous."
Poll: Virginia?s opinion on K-12 education and school choice
Posted on November 16, 2009Virginia Family Foundation: "The survey results found broad support among Democrats, Republicans and Independents for tax-credit scholarship programs and school vouchers. Democrats indicate support for tax-credit scholarships (64%) and school vouchers (53%)...
Is there a constitutional right to sign a petition anonymously?
Posted on November 16, 2009Michael C. Dorf writes at FindLaw: "I do not raise the foregoing examples because I think they conclusively show that there is no First Amendment right to sign a petition for a referendum without having one's identity disclosed to the public. Whether there is such a right appears to be an open question...
Our Constitutional Moment
Posted on November 16, 2009James Taranto writes at the Wall Street Journal: "Why? Because, he says, 'America is in what I call a constitutional moment.' Mr. Obama's efforts to expand government power raise basic questions about the constitutional limits of that power. 'The enumerated-powers argument is enormous,' Mr...
Muslims attack Christian worship service in Uganda
Posted on November 16, 2009Christian Telegraph: "According to a November 10 report from Compass Direct, approximately 40 Muslims armed with machetes and clubs attacked the World Possessor's Church International in Namasuba, just outside the capital city of Kampala, Uganda, on November 1 while believers were holding a worship service, reports Voice of the Martyrs Canada...
Homosexual Adoption Review Requested
Posted on November 16, 2009NC Family Policy Council: "The North Carolina Family Policy Council (NCFPC) joined several groups in filing a motion asking the North Carolina Supreme Court to review a lower court?s decision to allow same-sex adoption in the state. "
John W. Whitehead Calls For Sweeping Changes To The U.S. Supreme Court And Far-Reaching Revisions To The Confirmation Process
Posted on November 16, 2009Rutherford Institute: "The time has surely come for an independent judicial appointments commission to be established ... to take Supreme Court appointments out of the hands of politicians and beyond the reach of the political process..."--John W. Whitehead & John M...
Blackstone Fellow wins 2009 Child Advocate of the Year Award
Posted on November 16, 2009Associated Content: "Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel presented Child AbuseWatch's Child Advocate of the Year Award on Friday, November 13th, 2009 [to] Vicki Tucci Esq, Circuit Director, Guardian ad Litem Program, 15th Judicial Circuit spoke of the importance of all aspects of the child advocacy community in helping children ...
ACLU: Bibles passed out, prayer encouraged in Cheatham County schools
Posted on November 16, 2009Tennessean: "A lawsuit has been filed against the Cheatham County School Board alleging that school officials have promoted their own religious beliefs and allowed and encouraged public prayers at school events."
MD: Orthodox medics, ACLU challenge religious discrimination at Pikesville Fire Company
Posted on November 16, 2009ACLU Press Release: "Three Orthodox medics assert in discrimination charges filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, that the Pikesville Volunteer Fire Company (PVFC) has illegally barred them from riding on calls, in violation of their religious rights and in retaliation for their involvement in an Orthodox emergency response organization...
Supreme Court: Miami school can ban book on Cuba
Posted on November 16, 2009Christian Science Monitor: "The Supreme Court Monday declined to hear a challenge to a Miami school board decision that removed a book about Cuba from public schools. The book was seen as presenting too cheery a view of life in Cuba."
Britain?s Top Religious Rights Barrister Warns United States Not to Discriminate Against Christians ? in Speech on Capitol Hill
Posted on November 16, 2009Christian Legal Centre on the Christian Newswire: "Andrea Williams, Barrister-at-Law and Executive Director of The Christian Legal Centre: "Christian faith in the UK is becoming a bar to office and the same could happen very soon in the United States...
?California gay marriage campaign kicks off?
Posted on November 16, 2009Reuters: "'All eyes are on California now,' said John Henning, executive director of Love Honor Cherish, a California gay rights group, and one of the leaders of an effort to gather a million signatures in order to place the measure on the November 2010 ballot in California...
CWA: ?A Vote for David Hamilton is a Vote Against Religious Freedom?
Posted on November 16, 2009Christian Newswire: "Concerned Women for America (CWA) President Wendy Wright said, 'David Hamilton's litany of left-wing activist decisions makes him a dangerous choice to sit on a federal appellate court. Judge Hamilton has earned the opposition against his nomination to a higher court...
Maine churches threatened with IRS complaints for marriage support
Posted on November 16, 2009Charisma Magazine: "Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), said the campaign is an 'all-too-obvious attempt' to use the IRS to intimidate pastors. 'Pastors and churches have a right to speak about biblical truths from the pulpit without fear of punishment,' Stanley said...
Laura Ingraham and Raymond Arroyo on YouTube Audio: Did the Catholic Bishops endorse the health care bill and violate sanctity of life and subsidiarity principles?
Posted on November 16, 2009The Audio of the Interview is available here. It ruins just over 5 minutes. The Laura Ingraham Show Visit Site »
Netherlands: Suicide tips for just 17.50 euros
Posted on November 16, 2009Radio Netherlands Worldwide: "No prospects for the future, tired of life or suicidal? Anyone who wants to take matters of life and death into their own hands can get plenty of information on how to end it all from the Dutch Right to Die Association (NVVE)...
Interview: Former ?Gay? Youth Leader Re-Emerges to Tell His Dramatic Conversion Story
Posted on November 16, 2009LifeSiteNews: "'The fury that comes from "gay" people against people like me can be vicious and vile, and it can hurt,' he told LSN. 'They stop at nothing to make me feel ashamed for my current stance on homosexuality, and to try to make me doubt what I have experienced in my life...
Poland Comes to Italy?s Defense on the Crucifix
Posted on November 16, 2009NC Register: ". . . Poland?s president, Lech Kaczynski, has said that Poland will never agree to remove crosses from its schools . . . "
Case Against Alleged Fort Hood Shooter to Test Military Justice System
Posted on November 16, 2009Law.com (National Law Journal): "Lawyers involved in the court-martial of the man accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, will shoulder incredible pressure from inside and outside the military to get it right, experts on military law say."
French Judge Finds Hospital Guilty of ?Unreasonable Obstinacy? in Saving Newborn?s Life
Posted on November 16, 2009"A hospital in the south of France has been found guilty of taking excessive measures when they successfully revived a newborn baby that had been declared stillborn."
Spanish Bishop Says Catholic Politicians Who Vote for Abortion Excommunicate Themselves
Posted on November 16, 2009LifeSitenews: "The secretary general of the Spanish bishops' conference, Auxiliary Bishop Juan Antonio Martinez Camino of Madrid, warned that Spanish Catholic legislators who vote in favor of a bill to liberalize abortion which is currently before parliament would publicly place themselves in an 'objective state of sin' and therefore may not receive Communion...
?Guns, God and Gays: Public Opinion on Gun Rights, Abortion and Same-Sex Marriage?
Posted on November 16, 2009Nathaniel Persily writes at the Volokh Conspiracy: "The trajectories of opinion in this category of issues do not seem to be following a consistent pattern, and it is interesting to speculate why. I will focus in this post on gun rights, abortion, and same sex marriage...
Reinhardt Reversed for Third Time in Same Case
Posted on November 16, 2009Orin Kerr writes at the Volokh Conspiracy: "The basic dynamic of Ninth Circuit 'liberal lion' Stephen Reinhardt overturning a death sentence in a habeas case ? and then the U.S. Supreme Court reversing Reinhardt ? happens so often that it normally would not merit comment...
En Banc 7th Circuit: Homeowners may have FHA religious discrimination claim for Mezuzah ban
Posted on November 13, 2009"At the center of this case is a little rectangular box, about six inches tall, one inch wide, and one inch deep, which houses a small scroll of parchment inscribed with passages from the Torah, the holiest of texts in Judaism.1 mezuzot or mezuzoh)."
University of Maryland Regents Reject Porn Policy
Posted on November 13, 2009Citizen Link: "Maryland's state university regents voted Wednesday to defy a legislative order to regulate porn on campus, claiming it would be impossible to enforce."
David French on the Michael Medved Show: Student body president attacked over pro-life group?s display
Posted on November 13, 2009David French, Director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, appeared on the Michael Medved Show to discuss this: College launches attack campaign on student body president over pro-life group?s display. The MP3 runs about 33 minutes.
Greek Church acts on crucifix ban
Posted on November 13, 2009BBC: "The Greek Orthodox Church is urging Christians across Europe to unite in an appeal against a ban on crucifixes in classrooms in Italy."
Video: Chicago politician, ACLU lawyer debate church and state in Chicago schools
Posted on November 13, 2009Chicago Tonight: "Houses of worship and private schools have been receiving state tax dollars, and this has reignited the church-state debate. We talk with a state representative who has helped send money to a Jesuit-run high school and an ACLU member with concerns about the practice...
Is the European Union becoming more secular?
Posted on November 13, 2009Belfast Telegraph: "David Quinn ? a commentator on religious and social affairs in the Republic ? asks if Europe becoming a cold house for Christians."
UK: Government admits defeat over ?gay hate? law
Posted on November 13, 2009BBC News: "Ministers have admitted defeat in their efforts to remove a 'free speech' defence from new laws against inciting homophobic hatred. MPs have voted four times to scrap it but it has been repeatedly overturned in the Lords, who again last night voted by 179 to 135 to keep it...
Pro-life group asks military to charge Hasan for killing unborn baby at Fort Hood
Posted on November 13, 2009LifeNews: "A pro-life legal group has asked the U.S. military to charge Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan with the unlawful killing of an unborn child in the shooting that recently took place at the Fort Hood military base . . . 'All murder victims--born and pre-born--deserve equal justice,' ADF senior legal counsel Steven Aden told LifeNews...
Debate at Harvard University asks if hooking up is degrading or liberating
Posted on November 13, 2009ABC News: "By the end of senior year, the average college student has had 6.9 hookups, mostly after a 'good bit of drinking,' according to a survey of 4,000 students at five universities by Stanford University sociology professor Paula England."
Conference: ?Rethinking the Law Governing the Structure and Operation of the Supreme Court?
Posted on November 13, 2009SCOTUS Blog reports on the upcoming conference at George Washington Law School.
South Carolina Gubernatorial Hopeful Defends Christian Prayer At Council Meetings
Posted on November 13, 2009Religion Clause Blog: "The Palmetto Scoop yesterday reported that South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster who is running in the Republican primary in June 2010 to become the state's next governor has released a web video strongly supporting the right of city councils to open their meetings with sectarian prayer...
Islamic Party Will Run Local Candidates In Spain In 2011
Posted on November 13, 2009Religion Clause Blog: "World Bulletin reports today that 'Rebirth and Union,' Spain's first Islamic political party, is planning to run candidates in 2011 local elections."
US Sues To Seize Iranian Funded Mosqes and Schools In 4 US Cities
Posted on November 13, 2009Religion Clause Blog: "Yesterday in New York, federal prosecutors filed a civil complaint against the Alavi Foundation seeking forfeiture of over $500 million in assets including not only bank accounts and an office tower in New York, but also Islamic centers housing mosques and schools in New York City; Rockville, Maryland; Carmichael, California; and Houston, Texas...
What?s behind America?s politically correct ?love? of Islam?
Posted on November 13, 2009David Kupelian writes at WorldNetDaily: "Everyone attributes it to 'political correctness,' but I think it's time to move beyond that shallow, passé, near-meaningless phrase. Do we dare admit what is really at play here? The truth is actually very simple...
Video: Abortion Issue Could Sway Health Reform?s Ally
Posted on November 13, 2009Wall Street Journal: "The last thing Democrats need right now is a fight over health care with a powerful outside group. Yet that's exactly what may be taking shape with the nation's Catholic bishops -- a group that ought to be an ally in the struggle to pass health-care reform...
Clever, unconstitutional way to curb abortions
Posted on November 13, 2009Brietta Clark and Karl Manheim are professors of law at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles write in the San Francisco Chronicle: "The Stupak Amendment is obviously designed to discourage even medically necessary abortions. Many women have medical conditions that are exacerbated by pregnancy, but by the time they become life-threatening, it is too late for a safe abortion...
OH: Clark County working to fix Ten Commandments monument
Posted on November 13, 2009Springfield News Sun: "Clark County is working to repair the Ten Commandments monument from the courthouse lawn that was cracked by a hit-and-run driver a few weeks ago . . . A national organization, the Alliance Defense Fund, has volunteered to cover any litigation from putting the monument back, should it occur...
Free speech impinged at OSU
Posted on November 13, 2009Daily Vanguard: "The Students Alliance and The Liberty are seeking equal rights to speak on campus according to their attorney, Heather Gebelin Hacker of the Alliance Defense Fund . . . 'The defendants have been served and their answer to the complaint is due on Nov...
Legal group pledges to defend pro-Question 1 churches targeted by ?frivolous? IRS complaints
Posted on November 13, 2009Catholic News Agency: "[Erik] Stanley charged that groups that want to 'redefine' marriage are 'intentionally threatening' churches? tax-exempt status to promote 'fear, intimidation and disinformation to silence their voice . . . ADF will stand with these churches to defend their right to free speech and religious expression against these baseless scare tactics,' he stated...
Maine Churches threatened over marriage support
Posted on November 13, 2009CitizenLink: "Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), said his group is offering free legal assistance to any church that becomes a target of the IRS. 'Churches and pastors have a right to support or oppose legislative efforts directly,' he said, 'as long it constitutes an insubstantial part of what they do overall...
Maine: Churches targeted by ?gay? intimidation campaign
Posted on November 13, 2009WorldNetDaily: "Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, said pastors and churches have a right to discuss biblical truths from the pulpit without fear of being punished for their religious beliefs. 'They can encourage their congregations to take a stand for marriage and can directly support legislative issues like Question 1 without running afoul of IRS rules,' Stanley said...
Matt Bowman: ?Abortion-philes and Religion-phobes turn the Constitution upside down?
Posted on November 13, 2009". . . There is no requirement for government assistance in support of abortion, while there is no constitutional ban on government assistance to religious groups. Abortion advocates have it completely backwards . . . "
Planned Parenthood and ACLU Obstruct People?s Rights with Lawsuit against Personhood Nevada
Posted on November 13, 2009Personhood USA: "Planned Parenthood and the ACLU have filed a lawsuit against the sponsors of a Nevada ballot initiative defining the term 'person'."
U.S. Treasury Confident Congress Will Increase Debt Ceiling
Posted on November 13, 2009Bloomberg: "The White House wants an increase of at least $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion, according to a person familiar with the deliberations between lawmakers and the administration. Record budget deficits are pushing the national debt closer to the $12...
GOP jettisons abortion coverage from own insurance
Posted on November 13, 2009". . . even as congressional Republicans insist that the health care overhaul does not cover abortions, the national party's own health plan covers elective procedures . . . "
SafeSearch on Google
Posted on November 13, 2009Official Google Blog: "When you're searching on Google, we think you should have the choice to keep adult content out of your search results . . . Today we're launching a feature that lets you lock your SafeSearch setting to the Strict level of filtering...
Catholic Church and same-sex ?marriage?: A threat to social service contracts in D.C.?
Posted on November 13, 2009Patrick J. Deneen, Associate Professor of Government at Georgetown University, discusses the Washington Post article, "Catholic Church gives D.C. ultimatum": "I think the basic premise of the Post's story requires clarification. The premise of today's story was that the Catholic Church was threatening to cease to provide charitable services if the law legalizing gay marriage is passed...
IMAPP Marriage Law Digest Online
Posted on November 13, 2009The Institute for Marriage and Public Policy October 2009 Marriage Law Digest is now available online.
Congressional socialists look to silence Catholics
Posted on November 13, 2009Dakota Voice: "Socialists in congress are looking to bring the hammer down on Catholics who dared advocate their values in the public square . . . Rep. Lynn Woolsey . . . said that in light of heavy pressure from USCCB against federal funding for abortion, the Internal Revenue Service should investigate whether the organization exceeded the limitations of its tax-exempt status ...
ADF urges prosecution for death of 14th Fort Hood victim
Posted on November 13, 2009Killing of ?Baby Velez? is violation of Uniform Code of Military Justice
Not a Moral Issue: Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty
Posted on November 13, 2009Shannon Gilreath, Not a Moral Issue: Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty (November 11, 2009). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1504170 "I argue that Professors Wilson and Laycock?s nearly exclusive focus on individual rights analysis in their approach to the same-sex marriage question fails to consider seriously the group-based equality issues at stake...
Teach the Bible in School? Of Course?
Posted on November 13, 2009Rocky Mountain Family Council Blog: "I happened to believe that teaching students the Bible in public schools is a good idea. We are making this debate too complicated. Now I know this debate can lead to great passion, but let's use a little common sense...
?Polls Find Californians Weary of Gay Marriage Ballot Measure?
Posted on November 13, 2009California Family Council: "A joint study by the LA Times and the University of Southern California claims that although a slim majority of 51% of Californians approve of homosexual marriage, a strong 60% of those polled oppose a ballot measure on marriage returning next year...
Is the Supreme Court getting ready to rule on the rights of campus student groups?
Posted on November 13, 2009ADF attorney Jordan Lorence writing at the ADF Center for Academic Freedom's Academic Freedom File blog: "Observers of the United States Supreme Court are noting the unusually-long scrutiny the justices are giving to Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, the case where the University of California-Hastings (in San Francisco) denied permission to the Christian Legal Society to meet on campus because it ran afoul of its nondiscrimination policy, as ADF has seen on other university campuses...
1st Amendment shoved aside on Constitution Day
Posted on November 13, 2009OneNewsNow: "A student council president under fire at Sacramento City College now has legal representation . . . 'He's been retaliated against by these school administrators who called into question his faith," says [David] Hacker. The attorney explains that the administrators 'have removed [Macias] from student government trips that the group was going [on] ...
ACLJ Represents 44 Members of Congress in Urging Court to Uphold National Motto & Pledge of Allegiance Displays at Capitol Visitor Center in D.C.
Posted on November 13, 2009ACLJ: "The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) ? dedicated to the defense of constitutional liberties secured by law ? today filed an amicus brief on behalf of 44 members of Congress asking a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the engravings of the national motto and Pledge of Allegiance at the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D...
Is Law School a Good Investment? No, Law Profs Say, for Many ?Typical? Students
Posted on November 13, 2009ABA Journal: "Does the cost of going to law school pay off for graduates? The answer to that question is no, for many 'typical' students, according to a law professor at Vanderbilt University."
New Jersey bill to redefine marriage lacks votes to leave Senate Judiciary Committee
Posted on November 13, 2009"State Sen. Paul Sarlo says he will not bring up the bill in the Judiciary Committee he chairs unless there are enough votes to pass it along to the whole Senate."
?Argentine judge allows gay wedding in legal first?
Posted on November 13, 2009Reuters: "An Argentine judge has granted a homosexual couple permission to get married, setting a precedent that could pave the way for the Catholic country to become the first in Latin America to allow same-sex marriage."
Calif. changes tune on adult stem cells
Posted on November 13, 2009Baptist Press: "California's stem cell program has awarded $230 million primarily to non-embryonic research, in the process implicitly admitting embryonic experiments are much further from producing therapies in human beings."
Pastor Taken Off YouTube For Message Against Homosexuality
Posted on November 13, 2009ExodusInternational: "Dr. David Manning recently had a video of a sermon he preached on homosexuality pulled off of YouTube. According to Manning*, YouTube cited the recently signed Hate Crimes legislation as their reason for pulling the sermon; they had always allowed his previous sermons...
Vote on strip club ordinance may be delayed
Posted on November 13, 2009Detroit Free Press: "A lack of a quorum at a Detroit City Council meeting this morning may derail a scheduled vote next week on a licensing ordinance to govern strip clubs in the city . . . The council is considering several changes to the way the clubs do business, including banning the sale and consumption of alcohol and requiring strippers to wear pasties and keep at least 6 feet from patrons...
?RI gov opens door to domestic partnerships?
Posted on November 13, 2009Boston Globe (AP): "But after a closed-door meeting with a gay rights group, Carcieri told reporters Thursday he would consider creating a domestic partnership system similar to one approved this month by voters in Washington state."
Christian Groups Call for Boycott of Retailers Censoring Christmas
Posted on November 13, 2009LifeSiteNews: "With the Christmas season fast approaching, and the commercial machine gearing up as usual, the annual 'war on Christmas' has started, with numerous stores refusing to recognize the very celebration by which they profit. In response, Christian groups are again calling for a boycott of such stores who censor references to Christmas in their Christmas promotions...
UK: Gov?t accused of allowing ?discrimination? in faith schools
Posted on November 13, 2009UKPA: "Ministers have given in to demands by religious groups to allow faith schools to appoint teachers in line with the school's beliefs, the National Secular Society (NSS) claimed."
Purdue librarian under fire for ?anti-gay? Townhall blog
Posted on November 13, 2009Inside Higher Ed: "[At] his Conservative Librarian blog, [Bert Chapman] argues that gay people are an economic drain . . . as word of the blog spread at Purdue, the campus has seen petitions and protests, with many calling for Chapman (who has tenure) to be fired ...
Amnesty International pushes ?gay marriage? in Australia
Posted on November 13, 2009C-FAM: "Activist organization Amnesty International is putting its weight behind an Australian bill seeking to legalize 'same-sex marriage' in that country, claiming that 'internationally recognized' non-discrimination norms dictate such a result."
Andy McCarthy: September 10? It?s worse than that
Posted on November 13, 2009Andrew C. McCarthy writing at National Review Online: ". . . the FBI and the Justice Department have convinced themselves that the Constitution really is a suicide pact ? that a mainstream construction of Islam, calling for our demise as a free people, is somehow insulated from inquiry because we don?t want to confront the stubborn fact that Islamist terror is instigated by Islamic doctrine...
Australia: ?Bid to cut gays from surrogacy in State Parliament?
Posted on November 13, 2009CourierMail.com.au: "THE divisive issue of gay parenting is set to split State Parliament after the Opposition introduced a Bill to ban same-sex couples and single mothers from accessing surrogacy."
?S.F. Presbytery OKs ordination of lesbian?
Posted on November 13, 2009San Francisco Chronicle: "The San Francisco Presbytery agreed late Tuesday to ordain the first openly homosexual minister in the denomination."
Sacramento student body president back on the job after ADF letter to college officials
Posted on November 13, 2009College agrees that recall election violated state law, but student government seeking to impeach him anyway
Dem Leaders set to include ?Don?t ask, don?t tell? repeal in defense authorization bill
Posted on November 13, 2009The Hill: "Democratic leaders plan to repeal the military?s 'Don?t ask, don?t tell' policy in next year?s defense authorization bill."
What is driving the healthcare debate? The union connection
Posted on November 13, 2009"Union membership has stayed high in one sector of the economy: the government. Twenty-three percent of public-sector workers belonged to unions in 1974, and 37 percent did in 2008."
Chinese bishop explains choice to join Patriotic Association
Posted on November 13, 2009Catholic Culture: "A Chinese 'underground' bishop who caused consternation among his people when he joined the government-backed Patriotic Association has told the AsiaNews service that he took the step for the sake of his flock."
USCIRF Issues Policy Document Opposing UN Defamation of Religions Proposal
Posted on November 12, 2009Religion Clause Blog: "The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom yesterday issued a new Policy Focus publication titled: The Dangerous Idea of Protecting Religions from "Defamation": A Threat to Universal Human Rights Standards."
Ala. school reverses decision, won?t bar lesbian couple from prom
Posted on November 12, 2009WHNT: "A north Alabama school district has reversed itself and may allow a high school student to bring her girlfriend to the prom after initially saying the lesbian couple wouldn't be permitted."
Military brass wallow in ?diversity? fetish that caused Fort Hood tragedy and betrayed our troops
Posted on November 12, 2009Examiner.com: "As we and the Manchester Union-Leader noted earlier, the Fort Hood shooter, Nidal Hasan, escaped any preventive action because of a politically-correct obsession with 'diversity,' which made officers reluctant to report Hasan's extremist remarks in favor of terrorism and against non-Muslims, lest they be accused of discrimination or insensitivity...
Why Is Supreme Court Holding Onto Christian Legal Society Case?
Posted on November 12, 2009"The petition challenges a decision of the University of California, Hastings College of the Law to deny official recognition to the Christian student group because it does not conform to the school's requirement that membership and leadership positions be open to all...
Academy changed color guard to add diversity
Posted on November 12, 2009Newsday: "Naval Academy leaders say they altered the composition of the color guard that performed at a World Series game last month so that the group would not be made up solely of white males." Power Line Blog: An Insufficiently Colorful Color Guard? "How deep does the culture of political correctness run in the military and the service academies?"
Denmark?s Muslims Face Political Opposition To Building of New Mosques
Posted on November 12, 2009Religion Clause Blog: "Today's New York Times reports on the political opposition in Denmark to plans by for the building of two grand mosques in Copenhagen."
New biography of Justice Scalia
Posted on November 12, 2009SCOTUS Blog: "Bookstores today release American Original, Joan Biskupic?s new biography of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. Joan gave Tom Goldstein of SCOTUSblog the first interview on the book, which you can listen to as a podcast here, or by clicking on the icon at the bottom of this post...
Shreveport students, leaders honor Fort Hood fallen
Posted on November 12, 2009Shreveport Times: "Students also heard from Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover, who shifted his busy Veterans Day schedule to make it to the school, and Mike Johnson, an attorney with Alliance Defense Fund, a political group . . . Johnson finished where Edmonds' message left off: 'You can go to sleep tonight knowing that you did something...
Shirley Dobson gives National Day of Prayer deposition
Posted on November 12, 2009CBN: "Shirley Dobson, wife of Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, gave a deposition Tuesday after being named in a suit claiming the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional . . . 'Prayer proclamations are a long-established and cherished American tradition going back to the Founding Fathers,' said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster...
Texas Gov. Perry says Obama taking U.S. toward socialism
Posted on November 12, 2009Austin American-Statesman: "Gov. Rick Perry had some pretty strong comments about the Obama administration on Wednesday in Midland, saying, 'This is an administration hell-bent on taking America towards a socialist country.'"
Student prez punished for allowing free speech?
Posted on November 12, 2009WorldNetDaily: "'According to our information, the ASG and several college officials have engaged in a retaliatory and discriminatory campaign to recall Mr. Macias as ASG president simply because he refused to unlawfully censor an off-campus group who participated in the college's Constitution Day,' said a letter from the law firm's litigation staff counsel, David J...
Teen fights vaccination for sexually transmitted virus
Posted on November 12, 2009WorldNetDaily: "'Christians shouldn't be forced to violate their faith in order to gain U.S. citizenship,' said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster. 'Requiring a young girl to choose between her beliefs and legal citizenship is a clear violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which prevents the government from putting a substantial burden on a person's religious beliefs except under extreme circumstances...
?The struggle for marriage equality rages on?
Posted on November 12, 2009Bay Windows: "Now, opponents are before the elections board [in D.C.] seeking an initiative to establish a statute limiting the definition of marriage to straight couples. The board is expected to rule on that request in the next two weeks, says Human Rights Campaign regional field director Sultan Shakir...
Planned Parenthood seeks silence, fails
Posted on November 12, 2009OneNewsNow: "'Planned Parenthood got its temporary restraining order against Abby Johnson thrown out because the judge said they had no evidence that this former director of Planned Parenthood's College Station clinic had absconded with any confidential information regarding its employees or patients,' [Steven H...
Planned Parenthood restraining order request thrown out
Posted on November 12, 2009CitizenLink: "A judge has thrown out Planned Parenthood's request for a restraining order against Abby Johnson, the former director of an abortion clinic in Bryan, Texas . . . 'This is just another example of a Planned Parenthood bullying tactic,' [Steven Aden] said, 'trying to silence those who speak out and expose their lies and fraud to women...
Tangipahoa policy change delays trial on prayer
Posted on November 12, 20092theadvocate.com: "At its Aug. 18 meeting, the School Board unanimously adopted a policy change that allows for residents who live in Tangipahoa Parish but attend services outside of the parish to request in writing that their minister, rabbi, imam or other religious leader be added to the board?s invitation list...
Few Americans make end-of-life wishes known
Posted on November 12, 2009AP: "The health overhaul bill that narrowly passed the House on Saturday includes a provision to nudge more people to confront such choices: It would pay for end-of-life counseling for Medicare patients."
Maine churches threatened with IRS complaints for supporting marriage
Posted on November 12, 2009Question 1 opponents encourage frivolous attempts to revoke tax-exempt status; ADF standing ready with free legal assistance.
?D.C. council committee approves same-sex marriage bill?
Posted on November 12, 2009Washington Post (2009.11.10): "A DC Council Committee voted 4 to 1 this afternoon to send a bill legalizing same-sex marriage to the full council for debate."
?Time running out for gay marriage?: Bloggers on N.J.?s lame duck legislation?
Posted on November 12, 2009The Star-Ledger: ". . . the state Legislature has 10 weeks to get a gay marriage bill on the governor?s desk? or give up for at least the next four years . . . "
Catholic Church gives D.C. ultimatum
Posted on November 12, 2009". . . it will be unable to continue the social service programs it runs for the District if the city doesn't change a proposed same-sex marriage law . . . "
FBI: 10% of U.S. Mosques Preach Jihad
Posted on November 12, 2009NewsMax: "Imams preach jihad and extremism in 10 percent of the 2,000 mosques in the United States, the FBI estimates . . . About a quarter of the Muslims in America ages 18 through 29 believe that suicide bombings can be justified, according to a Pew Research Center poll...
UN says hunger stunts some 200 million children
Posted on November 12, 2009AP: "Nearly 200 million children in poor countries have stunted growth because of insufficient nutrition, according to a new report published by UNICEF Wednesday before a three-day international summit on the problem of world hunger."
On Guard Against the Gardasil Juggernaut
Posted on November 12, 2009George Delgado, M.D. writes at the Ruth Institute Blog: "No one likes the feeling that something has been shoved down his or her throat. Merck, the pharmaceutical giant is looking like a bully in how it thrust Gardasil, the first genital human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine, on the US market...
ABA Proposes Law Student Loan Relief
Posted on November 12, 2009Law.com (The National Law Journal): "The ABA wants the government to let unemployed graduates convert private loans into federal ones. The change could allow them to defer repaying those loans for as long as three years."
?Three parent babies? take a step closer to reality
Posted on November 12, 2009BBC: "Scientists are a step closer to producing a controversial 'three parent baby' after they successfully fertilised an egg with two biological mothers."
The Liability of Clergy for the Acts of Their Congregants
Posted on November 12, 2009The Liability of Clergy for the Acts of Their Congregants Mark Herman, 98 Geo. L.J. 153 (2009) "This Note argues that when clergy engage in relationships directly analogous to special relationships in tort law, they, too, have a duty to protect third parties...
Richard M. Esenberg: Must God Be Dead or Irrelevant: Drawing a Circle That Lets Me In
Posted on November 12, 2009Richard M. Esenberg. 2009. "Must God Be Dead or Irrelevant: Drawing a Circle That Lets Me In." ExpressO. Available at: http://works.bepress.com/richard_esenberg/1 "The problem is that modern government is not ? and probably cannot be ? silent on [religious] matters...
ABA Should Collect School Data on Law Grads? Salaries and Debt, Prof Says
Posted on November 12, 2009ABA: "Would-be law students could better evaluate law schools if they knew more about graduates' jobs, salaries and debt loads, a law professor says."
Sweden: Not all religions should be welcomed, says priest
Posted on November 12, 2009Europe News: "In a debate article priest Helene Sturefelt titled 'Don't be so naive about Islam' she argues that not all religions are acceptable, just as not all political parties are acceptable. In the name of democracy, parties have to follow Swedish law...
?2001 Notre Dame Law School Woman Graduate of the Year? named to AZ Planned Parenthood Board
Posted on November 12, 2009dBusiness News: "Planned Parenthood Arizona, the state?s largest non-profit sexual health organization, announces 10 new board members . . . Emily Chang was named the Notre Dame Law School Woman Graduate of the Year in 2001 . . . "
Government sued for defunding scandal-hit ACORN
Posted on November 12, 2009Reuters: "The scandal-hit liberal grass-roots group ACORN sued the U.S. government on Thursday, saying it did not have the right to cut off ACORN's federal funding because the group had not been convicted of a crime."
Italian mayors respond to Strasbourg ruling by hanging more crucifixes in schools
Posted on November 12, 2009CNA: "A number of Italian officials have responded to the ruling by the European Human Rights Court that ordered schools in Italy to remove crucifixes from the classrooms by taking unprecedented measures to preserve the Christian symbol."
ENDA markup set for Nov. 18
Posted on November 12, 2009Washington Blade: "U.S. House committee has set Wednesday as the day it will vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act . . . "
Sweden?s Lutheran church ordains first openly lesbian bishop
Posted on November 12, 2009Google News (AP): "Sweden's Lutheran church said Monday it had ordained its first openly gay bishop, just two weeks after it gave priests the right to wed same-sex couples."
?Women face tough choices on abortion coverage?
Posted on November 12, 2009AP: "Millions of American women will face tough choices about abortion coverage if restrictions in the House health care bill become law, both sides in the abortion debate agree."
ACLU Demands Information About Bureau of Prisons Attempts to Ban Religious Material
Posted on November 12, 2009ACLU: "The American Civil Liberties Union today demanded that the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) release all records in its possession related to attempts by prison officials to purge from federal prison chapel libraries any religious material arbitrarily deemed to be unacceptable...
?U.K. Homosexualist Group: Public Sex is an Important Part of Gay Community?
Posted on November 12, 2009LifeSiteNews: "OutRage!, a militant U.K. homosexual 'rights' group, is insisting that homosexual sex in public places, a practice known as 'cruising,' should be tolerated by police."
Gym Owner Complains of Human Rights Commission Process after Costly Battle with Gender-Confused Man
Posted on November 12, 2009LifeSiteNews: "A gym owner in St. Catharines, Ontario, spoke out against the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) yesterday, complaining that, after he had been dragged through the system for three years and spent tens of thousands of dollars fighting a complaint brought against him by a gender-confused man, the case was ultimately dropped...
Erik Stanley on AFA Radio: IRS complaints target pro-marriage churches in Maine
Posted on November 12, 2009ADF attorney Erik Stanley appeared on AFA Focal Point Radio with Bryan Fischer to discuss this: Maine churches threatened with IRS complaints for supporting marriage. The MP3 runs just under 13 minutes.
?Abortion-rights? groups threaten not to fund Rodriguez and Teague
Posted on November 12, 2009The Hill: "Abortion-rights groups are threatening to withhold their support from lawmakers who supported the Stupak amendment."
Companies lobby newest FCC members on net neutrality rule
Posted on November 12, 2009The Hill: "The new FCC chairman, Julius Genachowski, has been the primary driver behind the rulemaking process for net neutrality, which is designed to prevent discriminatory practices by Internet providers that may limit Web traffic to online applications or websites...
Maryland: Montgomery May Require Pregnancy Clinic Disclaimer
Posted on November 12, 2009WJLA.com: "Montgomery County (web | news) officials have proposed a regulation that would require anti-abortion pregnancy centers to give women a disclaimer."
UK: Disabled Boy?s Father Gives up Fight against Life Support Removal
Posted on November 12, 2009LifeSiteNews: "The father of a one year-old seriously ill boy has given up his legal battle to prevent doctors from removing his son's life support. At a High Court hearing yesterday, the boy's father accepted the judgment that it would be in the child's 'best interests' to die...
Michigan Bill Introduced to Reverse Ban on Same-Sex ?Marriage?
Posted on November 12, 2009LifeSiteNews: "Five years after Michigan voters embedded true marriage in the state constitution, a Democrat representative has introduced a bill to overturn the ban on same-sex 'marriage.'" DomaWatch: Michigan
?Opinion: Gay rights go global?
Posted on November 12, 2009Peter Tatchell writes at the Global Post: "In much of the world, homophobia is still rampant. About 80 countries continue to outlaw homosexuality, with penalties ranging from one year?s jail to life imprisonment. More than half of these countries were former British colonies...
Did Doug Hoffman Concede Too Soon in NY 23rd Special Election?
Posted on November 12, 2009Associated Content: ". . . a recanvassing of the New York 23rd District shows that Bill Owens lead has shrunk to 3,026 votes, with ten thousand absentee and military ballots yet to be counted."
Catholic Bishop Publishes Extraordinary Letter Re: ?Obstinate? Kennedy?s Abortion Support
Posted on November 12, 2009LifeSiteNews ". . . In a public letter released in the diocesan newspaper on Monday - just two days after Kennedy voted in the House against adding the Pitts-Stupak amendment to the health-care bill - the Catholic prelate made clear that disagreeing with the bishops on a 'grave matter' like abortion "certainly does diminish their ecclesial communion, their unity with the Church...
Former Pro-Abortion Leaders Threaten Democratic Party Revolt Over Stupak Amdt
Posted on November 12, 2009LifeNews: "Now, former NARAL president Kate Michelman and former 'Catholics for Choice' president Frances Kissling have issued a stark challenge to leading Democrats: defend abortion or risk an inter-party revolt."
Britain is the abortion capital of Europe: Terminations for teenagers leap by a third
Posted on November 12, 2009Daily Mail: "More abortions are carried out in Britain than any other country in Europe, research has shown . . . Abortion numbers are rising fastest in Spain, but from a much lower base than in Britain."
Frank: ?Don?t ask? repeal coming next year
Posted on November 12, 2009. . . Gates said, ?If we repeal "don?t ask, don?t tell,"? ? and the next day he said, ?When we repeal "don?t ask, don?t tell,"?? said Frank. ?That?s because Rahm called him up. The White House has been consistently committed.
Democrat Questions Catholic Group?s Tax-Exempt Status After Bishops Pressed for Ban on Abortion Funding
Posted on November 12, 2009CNSNews: "Catholic bishops did nothing wrong in pressing Congress to bar federal funding of abortion in the Democrats? health care reform bills, and any IRS investigation resulting from the bishops? stance would be construed as harassment, the Catholic League said on Wednesday...
Marci A. Hamilton: ?Why the Stupak Amendment to the Healthcare Reform Bill Is Unconstitutional?
Posted on November 12, 2009Law Professor Marci A. Hamilton writes at Findlaw: "Although many have attacked the Amendment as a policy matter, the constitutional arguments against have been underplayed. That is a shame, because under any reasonable reading of the Constitution, the Stupak Amendment is unconstitutional: Indeed, it violates three different constitutional principle ...
Idaho charter school denies public records request
Posted on November 12, 2009The Olympian: “Nampa Classical Academy declined the public records request from the state Public Charter School Commission because attorneys advised it could jeopardize an ongoing lawsuit, said Michael Moffett, the school’s acting board chairman...
Pope urges Europe to defend religious heritage
Posted on November 11, 2009Google News (AP): "Benedict has been urging Europeans to keep alive their Christian roots, saying that Christian values are fundamental for the survival of societies."
Salt Lake passes sexual orientation discrimination measure ?with Mormon backing?
Posted on November 11, 2009"The Mormon church for the first time has announced its support of gay rights legislation, an endorsement that helped gain unanimous approval for Salt Lake city laws banning discrimination against gays in housing and employment."
3rd Circuit Rejects Complaint Over Docked Pay For Good Friday
Posted on November 11, 2009Religion Clause Blog reports on the ruling in Miller v. Weinstein, (3d Cir., Nov. 9, 2009).
Intel Committee Republican Says Administration is Withholding Information on Fort Hood Attack, Demands Preservation of Documents for Possible Congressional Probe
Posted on November 10, 2009CNSNews: "Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.), the ranking Republican on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said Monday that the Obama administration has been withholding 'critical information' on the Fort Hood murders allegedly committed by Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan...
Courts Divide Over the Constitutionality of Sex Toy Bans
Posted on November 10, 2009Findlaw: "The Supreme Court of Alabama recently upheld a state obscenity law banning the sale or promotion of sex toys. In so holding, the Court agreed with one of the two federal appellate courts to consider the same question in recent cases. At issue in the Alabama case, 1568 Montgomery Highway, Inc...
UK: Free speech shield in ?homophobic hatred? bill voted down by MPs
Posted on November 10, 2009"Police officers, pressurised by diversity training . . . seem to feel duty bound to come down like a ton of bricks on people who express disagreement with the behaviour of some gay rights activists . . . "
75% of American youths unfit for military service?
Posted on November 10, 2009"About 75 percent of the country's 17- to 24-year-olds are ineligible for military service, largely because they are poorly educated, overweight and have physical ailments . . . "
Senate Tips Richmond Federal Appeals Court to Democrats
Posted on November 10, 2009CNSNews: "The Senate gave President Barack Obama a major victory Monday in his efforts to remake the federal courts, confirming a judge who will tip the political balance on the once-conservative appeals court based in Richmond."
France: Court grants adoption by homosexual couple
Posted on November 10, 2009France 24: "A court in the eastern French city of Besançon has ordered local authorities to grant a school teacher and her partner adoption rights, ending an 11-year legal battle that has divided the country."
Planned Parenthood says U.S. bishops have ?hijacked? health care reform with Stupak Amendment
Posted on November 10, 2009CNA: "Planned Parenthood has condemned the addition of the Stupak/Pitts Amendment to the U.S. House?s proposed health care reform legislation, saying it would undermine private health plans that cover abortion."
TN: Family group opposes Playboy cable channel
Posted on November 10, 2009CitizenLink: "The Family Action Council of Tennessee (FACT) is arguing that Chattanooga's Electric Power Board (EPB) should pull the plug on the Playboy channel. The EPB is selling cable TV and Internet access and included the sexually themed channel in the lineup...
Mass. bill resurrects debate on religion in school
Posted on November 10, 2009Worcester Telegram: "A proposal before Massachusetts lawmakers aimed at protecting students who voice religious views at public schools is being assailed by separation of church and state advocates, who say it forces religion on people."
SD: ?Coalition For Cures Not Cloning? forms to fight possible ballot vote
Posted on November 10, 2009KSFY: "The Coalition for Cures Not Cloning is the new group. They say they'll be making an official announcement Thursday. The group will be planning efforts to fight a 2010 initiative that would reverse the current ban on cloning and embryonic stem cell research...
TIME: ?After Maine, Battle Lines Over Gay Marriage Harden?
Posted on November 10, 2009TIME: "The church's renewed determination to speak out for traditional marriage comes at the end of a year in which advocates for gay marriage saw some big wins, including Iowa's landmark decision to allow gay marriage, bookended by their two biggest defeats...
Senate Battle on Pro-Abortion Health Care Reform Bill Could Start Monday
Posted on November 10, 2009LifeNews: "The Senate could begin consideration of its pro-abortion, government-run health care bill as soon as Monday, once Senate leader Harry Reid gets the financial numbers on the cost of the legislation."
Bermuda Cabinet rejects sexual orientation measure under Human Rights Act
Posted on November 10, 2009The Royal Gazette: "Former Minister Dale Butler's proposal to ban discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation was rejected by Cabinet, Culture Minister Neletha Butterfield revealed yesterday."
Pioneering Report on Disappearance, Forced Conversions and Forced Marriages of Egyptian Christian Women Released
Posted on November 10, 2009Christian Newswire: "The Disappearance, Forced Conversions and Forced Marriages of Coptic Christian Women in Egypt - a pioneering report on human trafficking - was released today by Christian Solidarity International (CSI) and the Coptic Foundation for Human Rights...
Rutgers University: Corporate US gets to know Musims
Posted on November 10, 2009The National: "The American Muslim Consumer Conference, held at a conference hall at Rutgers University in New Jersey, was billed as the first of its kind by its volunteer organisers, a group of US Muslim professionals. Their aim was to educate non-Muslim businesses about the demand for Islamic products and encourage Muslims to exert their market power...
Islam ?recognizes homosexuality?
Posted on November 10, 2009Jakarta Post: "Homosexuals and homosexuality are natural and created by God, thus permissible within Islam, a discussion concluded here Thursday. Moderate Muslim scholars said there were no reasons to reject homosexuals under Islam, and that the condemnation of homosexuals and homosexuality by mainstream ulema and many other Muslims was based on narrow-minded interpretations of Islamic teachings...
AMA votes on marriage and seeks repeal of ?don?t ask,don?t-tell?
Posted on November 10, 2009". . . the American Medical Association has passed a resolution to seek repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell' and 'to declare that gay marriage bans contribute to health disparities for gay couples and their children.'"
Federalist Society National Lawyers Convention This Week
Posted on November 10, 2009Ilya Somin at the Volokh Conspiracy: "Interested readers may want to check out the Federalist Society National Lawyers Convention, which will be held in Washington DC this week, Thursday to Saturday. At least two Conspirators will be speaking on various panels (Randy Barnett and yours truly)...
Andre Davis confirmed to Fourth Circuit after two Bush nominations failed
Posted on November 10, 2009Orin Kerr writes at Volokh Conspiracy: "Congratulations to Judge Andre Davis, who was confirmed by the United States Senate today for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit."
Court to decide if gov?t prayers can include Jesus
Posted on November 10, 2009CBN: "A case about whether prayers should stop mentioning Jesus Christ before county commissioners meetings is being heard before a U.S. District Court in North Carolina . . . Mike Johnson, an attorney for the Alliance Defense Fund who is representing the county, said that the final ruling is about a month away, and that he will be filing a brief outlining his disagreement with Sharp's recommendation...
Judge favors prayer ban, makes recommendation to district court
Posted on November 10, 2009Winston-Salem Journal: "A magistrate is recommending that Forsyth County be barred from allowing sectarian prayers at meetings of the board of commissioners . . . Mike Johnson, an attorney for the Alliance Defense Fund who is representing the county, said that the final ruling is about a month away, and that he will be filing a brief outlining his disagreement with Sharp's recommendation...
Judge says Phoenix church cannot feed homeless
Posted on November 10, 2009AZ Republic: "The ruling is against CrossRoads United Methodist Church in north-central Phoenix and it says that the church is operating as a charity dining hall, which breaks a city zoning ordinance."
Fort Hood Suspect Warned of Muslim Threat Within Military
Posted on November 10, 2009FoxNews: "The Army psychiatrist suspected of killing 13 people at Fort Hood reportedly warned senior Army physicians in 2007 that the military should allow Muslim soldiers to be released as conscientious objectors instead of fighting in wars to avoid 'adverse events...
IRS Regulations Could Harm Churches
Posted on November 10, 2009Citizen Link: "The Internal Revenue Service has proposed regulations that would allow the government agency to audit churches, revoke tax-exempt status and impose penalties without considering churches' rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act or the First Amendment...
Money Issues That Can Test Even a Rock-Solid Marriage
Posted on November 10, 2009NY Times: "When finances threaten a relationship couples can chose to disengage and get divorced or re-engage, says Sandra Wang, a licensed therapist and a certified divorce financial analyst."
U.S. Supreme Court considers question of life sentences for juveniles
Posted on November 10, 2009How Appealing links to coverage here and here of the case: Sullivan v. Florida, No. 08-7621.
Islam posing a challenge for France companies
Posted on November 10, 2009Europe News: "A third of French companies say they are concerned by demands from their employees regarding wearing the headscarf, holidays and prayers. "Managing Eid is a real headache,' says the manager of a transport company. 'Half of the bus-drivers are Muslim...
Court Tentatively Holds High School Student Not Liable For Teacher?s Attorneys? Fees
Posted on November 10, 2009Religion Clause Blog: "While high school student Chad Farnan was found liable for court costs in the aftermath of his lawsuit against his high school history teacher who he accused of making anti-Christian remarks (see prior posting), in a preliminary ruling last Friday a Californa federal court concluded that he is not liable for his teacher's $378,000 of attorneys' fees ...
White House Faith-Based Office Finally Has A Web Presence
Posted on November 10, 2009Religion Cluase Blog: Finally the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships has a presence on the White House website.
Employer Taxes May Spook Senate on Health Care
Posted on November 10, 2009NCPA Policy Digest: "As the Senate prepares to vote on its version of health care legislation, one of the most contentious issues will be a provision requiring employers to provide insurance coverage. With the jobless rate at 10.2 percent and expected to climb, penalties for employers who don't offer insurance benefits will make it difficult for moderate Senate Democrats to support the plan, says the Washington Examiner...
NOW urges Obama admin to prosecute Tiller?s killer as terrorist
Posted on November 10, 2009NOW's press release is here.
Liberals threaten to sink healthcare bill over Stupak abortion amendment
Posted on November 10, 2009The Hill: "More than 40 lawmakers vowed to oppose the final healthcare bill if the House language on abortion is not removed."
Postmodern Pythagoras
Posted on November 10, 2009Matthew J. Milliner poses this question at Public Discourse: "Can the divide between the Liberal Arts and the Sciences be bridged by beauty?"
UK starts study on using human DNA in animals
Posted on November 10, 2009AP: "Scientists said they are now trying to determine where the line should be drawn on experiments that use human material in animals. At the moment, the regulation on how much human DNA can be put into an animal is vague."
Australia considers same-sex ?marriage?
Posted on November 10, 2009LifeSiteNews: "As part of its inquiry into the Marriage Amendment Bill the Australian government yesterday heard arguments for and against same-sex 'marriage.'"
UK parents lose right to remove children from ?sex ed? classes
Posted on November 10, 2009LifeSiteNews: "The British Labour government has announced that parents will have no right to remove their children over the age of 15 from explicit 'sex education' programs in schools."
?RI gov vetoes same-sex funeral planning rights?
Posted on November 10, 2009Boston Globe (AP): "Rhode Island's governor has vetoed legislation giving same-sex couples the same rights to plan the funerals of their late partners as married couples."
David French: The inexcusable act of upholding the Constitution
Posted on November 10, 2009David French, Director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, writing at National Review?s Phi Beta Cons blog: "Late last week, ADF Center for Academic Freedom attorneys issued a cease-and-desist letter in a remarkable case involving Sacramento City College...
Federal judge nixes SC license tag with cross
Posted on November 10, 2009The State (AP): "A federal judge ruled Tuesday that South Carolina can't issue license plates showing the image of a cross in front of a stained glass window along with the phrase 'I Believe.'"
Why is the Administration Subsidizing America?s Islamic Adversaries?
Posted on November 10, 2009Christian Freedom International reports at the Christian Newswire: "The objective is to promote education, health care, infrastructure, and jobs in the Muslim world. These all are good things, 'but shouldn't Washington be focusing on promoting education, health care, infrastructure, and jobs in America,' asks Jacobson?"
ACLU: ?Alabama School Bars Lesbian Student From Attending Prom With Her Girlfriend?
Posted on November 10, 2009ACLU: "The American Civil Liberties Union today demanded that Franklin County School System officials reverse its decision that a lesbian student can?t attend the school prom with her girlfriend . . ."
NJ: ?Lame ducks can walk same-sex couples down the aisle?
Posted on November 10, 2009NorthJersey.com: "In New Jersey, there's a very good chance that a bill will make its way to the floors of the state Senate and Assembly during the so-called lame duck session. If passed, it would become law before Governor Corzine leaves office."
Austin R. Nimocks on The Word 100.7FM with Donald Thornton: The Homosexual Agenda
Posted on November 10, 2009ADF attorney Austin R. Nimocks on The Word 100.7 FM with host Donald Thornton to discuss the homosexual agenda. The MP3 runs just under 40 minutes.
Embryo-destructive research and the contraceptive mentality are fruits of the same tree
Posted on November 10, 2009Kevin Maher writing at the Westchester Institute: "Today biotech is slowly cajoling Americans into taking things a step further and accepting the direct creation of embryos solely for research purposes. In asking how we got here, we have to turn the clock back to the late sixties, when Americans first became comfortable with another startling technical intervention into the beginnings of human life: the chemical contraceptive...
David French: An important (and unsurprising) ruling in Texas
Posted on November 10, 2009David French, Director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, writing at National Review?s Phi Beta Cons blog: "On Friday, FIRE reported that a federal judge in Texas had issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) permitting two students to hold an 'empty holder' protest next week outside Tarrant County College's tiny 'free speech zone...
AMA Votes Down Dissident Doctors, Keeps Backing House Health Bill
Posted on November 10, 2009Wall Street Journal: "Doctors unhappy with provisions missing or included in the current health legislation failed to get the American Medical Association to rescind its support for the House version of the overhaul bill."
California voters oppose new vote on ?gay marriage,? poll finds
Posted on November 10, 2009San Luis Obispo Tribune: "A small majority of California voters supports the right of gay couples to marry, but a much larger portion of voters opposes efforts to place the issue back on the ballot in 2010, a new Los Angeles Times/University of Southern California poll has found...
NY Times: ?New York Gay Rights Foe Sees Nuance in His Stand?
Posted on November 10, 2009NY Times: "Every Sunday morning, the deep, melodious voice of State Senator Rubén Díaz Sr. rumbles across the congregation at his Bronx church. On weekdays, it echoes across the Senate chamber as he rails against Medicaid cuts or abortion. Earlier this year, it enthralled thousands at a boisterous rally against same-sex marriage...
DC: Changes in ?marriage? bill offer churches leeway
Posted on November 10, 2009Washington Post: "A D.C. Council committee is expected to approve major changes Tuesday to the bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the District, including adopting a provision that will make it easier for church officials to avoid participation in gay weddings and receptions...
American Medical Association votes to seek repeal of ?don?t ask, don?t-tell?
Posted on November 10, 2009Miami Herald (AP): "The nation's largest doctors' group has agreed to join efforts to repeal the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy."
N.Y. Senate Delays Vote on Bill to Redefine Marriage
Posted on November 10, 2009"Republicans and Democrats said that as of Tuesday afternoon the measure was still several votes short of the 32 necessary for approval . . ."
Colorado: ?Vote on Planned Parenthood deal delayed?
Posted on November 10, 2009Fox Valley Villages Sun: "The agreement would bring to an end a suit filed in August 2007, which alleged that the city had infringed on the First Amendment rights of protesters at Planned Parenthood's New York Street clinic. Copies of the agreement have not been released, and details are scarce, but it reportedly sets out rules and regulations for those protests in the future...
SkyWest Airlines Accused of Denying Benefit to Legally Married Same-Sex Couple
Posted on November 10, 2009KCPW: "St. George-based SkyWest and its affiliate Delta Airlines are coming under fire for refusing spousal flight benefits for the husband of a gay California man employed by SkyWest as a baggage agent. Lambda Legal attorney Tara Borelli, who is representing the couple, says this is a very clear case of discrimination...
Veteran?s Day Alert Publication Schedule
Posted on November 10, 2009The ADF Alliance Alert Email Digest will not be published on Wed., November 11th as we honor our nation’s veterans. In the absence of major breaking news, new posts will not appear on the website.
Choose Life Plates now available in Arizona
Posted on November 10, 2009Center for Arizona Policy: ”Now, after years of a CAP-led court battle and months of waiting, you can order your CHOOSE LIFE license plate online.” Visit Site »
Utah: Salt Lake City seeks input on ?gay-resident protections?
Posted on November 10, 2009Deseret News: "The ordinances would establish a process within the city for tenants and employees to file discrimination complaints based on sexual orientation."
MI: Church group protests Planned Parenthood?s presence at Grobhiser
Posted on November 10, 2009Sturgis Journal: "With signs stating 'Planned Parenthood must go now,' 'Abortion kills a person' and 'Abortion is homicide,' a group of about 30 people from Whole Life Christian Fellowship gathered Monday in front of Sturgis Hospital?s Grobhiser Medical and Professional Building...
Pennsylvania County Plans To Tax Closed Church Builidings
Posted on November 09, 2009Religion Clause Blog: "Today's Wilkes-Barre (PA) Times-Leader reports that Luzerne (PA) County officials are likely to follow the lead of several other Pennsylvania counties and remove the property tax exemption from closed churches and religious schools...
Christian Group Lacks Standing To Vacate Florida School?s Consent Decree
Posted on November 09, 2009Religion Clause Blog: "A Florida federal district judge has largely rejected an attempt by the Christian Educators Association International to challenge the high profile and contentious consent decree entered into in March by the Santa Rosa County Florida school board to settle litigation brought by the ACLU challenging religious practices in the county's schools...
UK: A royal chapel for Roman Catholics
Posted on November 09, 2009The Telegraph: "One might have thought such provisions would have been quashed by the Act of Settlement of 1701, which forbade heirs to the Crown to marry Catholics. But in Royal Prayer (Continuum, £16.99), Mr Baldwin demonstrates that the Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of 1661 is still in force and kicking...
House Health Care Bill Tracks FICA Exemption For Religious Objectors
Posted on November 09, 2009Religion Clause Blog: ". . . the bill does provide a 'conscience exemption' for members of religious sects whose tenets reject insurance benefits . . . "
Complications Grow for Muslims Serving in U.S. Military
Posted on November 09, 2009The Religion Clause Blog reports on this article in the NY Times: ". . . Muslims in the service face suspicion by some of their officers. Muslim soldiers are concerned about killing fellow Muslims in fighting and they hear condemnations of such killing in their mosques when they return from service ...
?Battle about same-sex marriage in N.J. takes on urgency?
Posted on November 09, 2009"Since Christie opposes same-sex marriage and Corzine supports it, the upcoming lame-duck legislative session may be the last opportunity for a vote on same-sex marriage measure for at least four years."
?A 2d chance at freedom for juvenile offenders?
Posted on November 09, 2009Paul Farmer writes at the Boston Globe: Article 37 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that children must not be subjected to . . . life imprisonment without the possibility of release. Only two nations in the world have not ratified this convention: Somalia and the United States ...
Health Care Bill DOA in Senate?
Posted on November 09, 2009"Not so fast. President Obama's victory dance yesterday for the House-passed health-care bill came as Senate foes -- mainly Republicans with one key Democrat moderate -- pronounced the measure mortally wounded, if not outright DOA."
Obama Nominates ACORN Activist to Appeals Court
Posted on November 09, 2009NewsMax: "Senate Republicans are gearing up to block the appeals-court nomination of U.S. District Judge David Hamilton, whose resume includes a stint as a fundraiser for ACORN, the community-organizing group recently tripped up by a series of embarrassing undercover videos...
Its About Winning with Marriage and Not Simply Opposing ?Gay Marriage?
Posted on November 09, 2009" . . . it?s about more than simply disagreeing with the gay activists. It?s about rebuilding an institution that has been neglected, abused, and underappreciated. It?s about re-teaching what a precious gift true marriage is . . .
Health Care Bill Gets House Approval, Abortion Funding Battle Shifts to Senate
Posted on November 08, 2009"The health care bill in Congress received its first favorable vote in a chamber of Congress on virtually a very narrow vote Saturday night. Passage of the legislation came after lawmakers voted for the Stupak amendment to remove abortion funding from the legislation...
Protect Marriage Washington Asks Supreme Court to Continue to Protect Petition Signers
Posted on November 06, 2009Today, Protect Marriage Washington asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its case that seeks to prevent the release of the names of the 138,000 individuals who signed a Washington referendum petition in support of traditional marriage.
Past Rulings Haunt President Obama?s Judicial Nominee
Posted on November 06, 2009Citizen Link: "Judge David Hamilton says lawmakers can pray to Allah ? but not to Jesus. Federal District Judge David Hamilton has been nominated for a seat on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals."
Maryland Delegate: Calls on state AG to initiate marriage redefinition
Posted on November 06, 2009Gazette.Net: "It's time for Maryland to stop lagging behind and become a leader again. At the beginning of the summer, the attorney general's office began researching and readying a legal opinion on whether Maryland could recognize valid out-of-state same-sex marriage licenses...
?Gays, lesbians elected in record numbers Tuesday?
Posted on November 06, 2009GayPolitics.com: "The group [The Victory Fund], which endorses openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) candidates, endorsed a slate of 79 contenders for 2009 races, a new record for a non-federal election year. Of those, 49 won their races outright and six are still unfinished...
Should Summary Judgment Have Been Granted in the Federal Proposition 8 Suit? Part Two
Posted on November 06, 2009Vikram David Amar writes at Findlaw: "In this column, I'll continue my explanation of the defendants' contentions, and elaborate my arguments for why the judge's decision to proceed with the case was at least plausible."
The European Court of Human Rights is part of an aggressive and belligerent drive towards secularism
Posted on November 06, 2009Independent.ie: ". . . this court is using the Convention on Human Rights as a fig-leaf to justify its secularist objection to religion per se."
Georgetown Panel on McDonald & the Privileges or Immunities Clause
Posted on November 06, 2009Randy Barnett writes at the Volokh Conspiracy: "This indicates that the meaning of the long-ignored Privileges or Immunities Clause is now in play, and that the Court wants to squarely address this constitutional question, as Justice Thomas has long been urging it to do...
ADF brief: Teen should not be denied citizenship for saying no to HPV vaccine
Posted on November 06, 2009"Alliance Defense Fund attorneys have filed a brief with U.S. immigration officials on behalf of a 17-year-old British girl denied permanent resident status because she declined to be injected with a vaccine . . . "
Christian Clubs Gain Equal Access to Public Schools
Posted on November 06, 2009Liberty Counsel: "Liberty Counsel has recently cleared the way for numerous Good News Clubs to use public school facilities for after-school programs. The Clubs, sponsored by Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), are designed to teach good character and Christian values to children ages 5-12...
Yesterday Communism, Today Radical Islam
Posted on November 06, 2009David Satter writes at Forbes: "Like the Soviets, the Islamic radicals promise their adherents an inevitable eventual victory . . . They share the same ideology and a victory for the Taliban is a victory for the system of thought that was responsible for the terrorist attacks on the U...
Top ten reasons why sharia is bad for all societies
Posted on November 06, 2009American Thnker: "Traditional Muslims who understand the Quran and the hadith believe that sharia (Islamic law) expresses the highest and best goals for all societies. It is the will of Allah. But is Islam just in its laws that Muhammad himself practiced and invented? This article says no for ten verifiable reasons...
Clinton announces new Muslim initiatives
Posted on November 06, 2009AFP: "US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced a package of measures on Tuesday designed to help businesses and non-governmental groups around the Muslim world."
?Hate preacher calls for Queen to wear full Muslim dress?
Posted on November 06, 2009"The Queen forced to wear a burkha and Buckingham Palace turned into a mosque - that was the vision of Britain under Sharia law proposed by a Muslim firebrand yesterday."
Video: ?Texas abortion doctor: ?Am I killing? Yes, I am??
Posted on November 06, 2009"[Dr. Curtis] Boyd is the only doctor in North Texas who will perform late-term abortions to women up to six months pregnant . . . 'Am I killing?' Boyd said. 'Yes, I am. I know that.'"
Hoyer: Health debate could stretch past Saturday vote time
Posted on November 06, 2009The Hill: "As House Democratic leaders labored to resolve last-minute disputes in their party about abortion and spending, the man who controls floor action suggested the debate could go into Sunday or next week."
David Cortman on Reality Check Live: Silencing Christian Speech in the Public Square
Posted on November 06, 2009ADF attorney David Cortman appeared on Reality Check Live with Mike and Clairie Monokian to dicuss this: City of St. Louis agrees to end unconstitutional literature distribution policy. The MP3 run just over 7 minutes.
AL: Christmas festival draws crowds from all over
Posted on November 06, 2009The Huntsville Times: "Marsh points out that, despite the religious diversity of Americans, surveys done by the conservative Alliance Defense Fund have shown that at least 95 percent of Americans celebrate Christmas in some way. The Festival of Sacred Christmas Music is meant to remind people for the reason for the season...
Teacher Claims Fingerprinting Is ?Mark of the Beast?
Posted on November 06, 2009Wired.com: "A 22-year veteran kindergarten teacher in the Texas Bible Belt could lose her job for refusing, on religious grounds, to give fingerprints under a state law requiring them."
Senate Committee Holds Hearing On ENDA; Religious Exemption Discussed
Posted on November 06, 2009Religion Clause Blog: "Yesterday, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions held a hearing on S. 1584, the proposed Employment Non-Discrimination Act which would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity...
9th Circuit Will Rehear Catholic League?s Suit Againt San Francisco En Banc
Posted on November 06, 2009"The resolution criticized a directive by the Catholic Bishop that prohibited adoption placements with same-sex couples."
The Post-Nuclear Family
Posted on November 06, 2009"As boomers enter their second childhood, we may witness the historical irony of aged parents experiencing some of the chaos and uncertainty felt by their children."
Vouchers in Australia Linked to Loss of Higher Socioeconomic Students in Public Schools
Posted on November 06, 2009Columbia U. National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education, Occasional Paper No. 181 by Louise Watson and Chris Ryan: "Beginning in 1974, Australian students received vouchers worth 15 to 85 percent of total student costs to attend private schools...
Babies ?cry in mother?s tongue?
Posted on November 06, 2009BBC: "German researchers say babies begin to pick up the nuances of their parents' accents while still in the womb."
Porn Industry Wrestles With Question of Whether Condoms Should Be Required
Posted on November 06, 2009ABC: "'Sometimes it'd be 10 women in an orgy scene -- nonstop,' he said, talking about his career at its busiest . . . 'I get that call,' he said, shaking his head. 'Everything stops. I had the virus.'"
Swiss Referendum Stirs a Debate About Islam
Posted on November 06, 2009Wall Street Journal: "An emotional debate over the role of Islam in Switzerland is heating up as a referendum approaches that would ban the construction of minarets on mosques."
Student stuns Iran by criticizing supreme leader
Posted on November 06, 2009Breitbart (AP): "An unassuming college math student has become an unlikely hero to many in Iran for daring to criticize the country's most powerful man to his face."
12 Reasons The Cross Is Not A Violation of Freedom
Posted on November 06, 2009"Real religious freedom is not freedom from religion, says a historian writing in response to this week's European court decision discouraging crucifixes in Italian schools . . . "
The Price of Values : ADF Magazine Truth and Triumph Online
Posted on November 06, 2009The November 2009 issue of the ADF magazine, Truth and Triumph, is now available online. Visit: http://www.adftruthandtriumph.org
Pa. prostitution case tossed over gov?t-funded sex
Posted on November 06, 2009Boston Globe (AP): "A Pennsylvania appeals court says state police mishandled a prostitution investigation in which they gave a private citizen $360 so he could pay for sex at a massage parlor along with $180 for his trouble." Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v...
Newly Identified Corporate Supporters of Planned Parenthood Named
Posted on November 06, 2009LifeSiteNews: "Life Decisions International (LDI) has released a revised edition of The Boycott List, which identifies corporations that are boycott targets due to their support of Planned Parenthood, the world's primary abortion-advocacy group."
Alexandria throws out adult store regulations
Posted on November 06, 2009Washington Business Journal: "The board voted 5-1 not to initiate a proposed amendment to the city?s zoning regulations, according to deputy director of planning and zoning Barbara Ross. The measure would have required adult-oriented businesses to be more than 1,000 feet away from each other, and for such stores not to exist in Alexandria?s historic district...
Schools emerge as new tactic in ?gay marriage? votes
Posted on November 06, 2009Google News (AP): "In one ad after another, voters in California and Maine were besieged with images of what would supposedly happen if same-sex marriage were legal: Students on a field trip to a lesbian wedding, elementary kids gobbling up books featuring gay couples, kindergartners learning about homosexuality from their teachers...
The Christmas vs. holiday battle ensues
Posted on November 06, 2009Louisville Christian Examiner: "In early October, school children in Arizona were asked to make decorations for the National Christmas Tree. Those who made ornaments referring to Christ or Christmas were told they had to redo their artwork in order to leave out Christ...
PA: Group looks to block strip club on Pittsburgh?s north side
Posted on November 06, 2009WPXI: "A group called HDV wants to open a 'Larry Flint Hustler Strip Club' in the 1600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, not far from the new Rivers Casino in the Manchester neighborhood of Pittsburgh."
Texas jury convicts polygamist sect member of sexual assault of 16-year-old ?spiritual wife?
Posted on November 06, 2009Metro News (AP): "Raymond Jessop, 38, was convicted late Thursday for having sex with the teen with whom he had a so-called spiritual marriage. He faces up to 20 years in prison when the jury reconvenes Monday to begin deciding his sentence."
Ohio: Suburban swingers club outrages neighbors
Posted on November 06, 2009WLWT: "Take a ride down U.S. Highway 52 in Clermont County and you would hardly notice it's there; a place called Cobra Cincinnati -- an adults-only swingers club. Cobra Cincinnati is not the first swingers club in the Tri-State area, but it has become one of the most controversial because of its location -- quiet New Richmond...
Pro-Abortion Health Care Bill Lacks Enough Votes, Vote Delay to Sunday Possible
Posted on November 06, 2009LifeNews: "In a conference call with liberal activists, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer just revealed that the health care reform bill with massive abortion funding may lack enough votes for a majority. The bill is slated to get a vote Saturday evening, but he said that could be pushed back to Sunday or early next week...
Kentucky: Christmas gets its tree back
Posted on November 06, 2009One News Now: "Governor Steve Beshear's administration previously decided to make this year's tree on capitol grounds a 'holiday' tree instead of a 'Christmas' tree, reportedly attempting to be inclusive of other religions. Kent Ostrander of the Family Foundation tells OneNewsNow that Kentucky residents' opposition kept the governor's staff busy...
Austin R. Nimocks on the Michael Medved Show: Freedom to oppose the redefinition of marriage
Posted on November 06, 2009ADF Attorney Austin R. Nimocks appeared on the Michael Medved Show to discuss the Mendell case: Maine counselor?s career threatened for support of marriage The MP3 runs just over 22 minutes.
Baltimore City Council Takes First Step to Target Pregnancy Centers Over Abortion
Posted on November 05, 2009LifeNews: "The Baltimore City Council has taken the first step in favor of a proposal that would target pregnancy centers by making them post a sign saying they do not offer abortions or provide contraception. It contains no stipulations for abortion centers saying they don't provide alternatives ...
Media reporting approval of R-71, 500-600K votes still outstanding, current margine approx. 55k votes
Posted on November 05, 2009Seattle Times: ". . . opponents of R-71 were not conceding Thursday afternoon."
Senate blocks census US-citizenship question
Posted on November 05, 2009Yahoo News (AP): "Senate Democrats have blocked a GOP attempt to require next year's census forms to ask people whether they are a U.S. citizen."
Pelosi Breaks Pledge to Put Final Health Care Bill Online for 72 Hours Before Vote
Posted on November 05, 2009Weekly Standard: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office tells THE WEEKLY STANDARD that the speaker will not allow the final language of the health care to be posted online for 72 hours before bringing the bill to a vote on the House floor, despite her September 24 statement that she was "absolutely" committed to doing so...
NY Gov. issues ?Proclamation for Extraordinary Session of Legislature? to redefine marriage and other issues
Posted on November 05, 2009The Governor's press release is here.
?Religious Runaway Faces Family In Mediation?
Posted on November 05, 2009CFNews13.com: "The teen has been in Orlando since July, when she ran away from her Columbus, Ohio, home after she said she was afraid her Muslim family would hurt and kill her because she converted to Christianity." Rifqa Bary
ACLU Sues State Of Florida And State Officials Over Poor Graduation Rates
Posted on November 05, 2009ACLU: "Poor graduation rates in Palm Beach County, Florida demonstrate a failure by state officials to ensure that all students receive a high quality education as mandated by the Florida Constitution, according to a class action lawsuit filed today by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Florida...
Administration Will Testify Before Senate On Landmark Employment Non-Discrimination Act
Posted on November 05, 2009ACLU: "The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee will hear testimony today from an Obama administration official on S. 1584, a bill that would finally end workplace discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation...
New Albany again rebuffed in battle against ?adult bookstore?
Posted on November 05, 2009Louisville Courier-Journal: "The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week denied the city?s request that the full court reconsider a September ruling by a three-judge panel blocking the city from closing New Albany DVD."
PA: Ordinance attacking abortion opponents struck down
Posted on November 04, 2009WorldNetDaily: "'We agree with the court's conclusion that the ordinance violated the free speech rights of pro-life advocates by zoning them out of the areas where they have a First Amendment right to speak,' said David Cortman, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, which argued the case...
Christians to take ?hate crimes? challenge to Holder
Posted on November 04, 2009"Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley [the 'hate crimes' bill] 'provides special penalties based on what people think, feel, or believe. 'ADF has clearly seen the evidence of where 'hate crimes' legislation leads when it has been tried around the world ...
UK: ?Violence against gay people can ? and must ? be stopped? ? Target schools and police
Posted on November 04, 2009Johann Hari writes at the Independent: "The fight to win legal equality for gay people is almost won in Britain ? yet the taste of champagne has been tainted by an unexpected dash of blood. In the past few years, gay people have finally begun to exercise the same rights as their straight siblings, yet there has been a sharp surge in violence against us...
Americans United urges IRS to take necessary steps to limit partisan activity by churches
Posted on November 04, 2009Americans United for Separation of Church and State Press Release: "The issue of church politicking has become more controversial in recent years. The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a Religious Right legal group, has been urging pastors to violate the ?no politicking? rule by endorsing or opposing candidates from the pulpit...
Human Rights Campaign: Effort to redefine marriage in NJ moving forward despite Corzine loss
Posted on November 04, 2009The Human Rights Campaign Backstory Blog has this post and includes to a "Garden State Equality" Video Commercial.
Washington Ref. 71 still undecided, result could take days due to mail balloting
Posted on November 04, 2009"All but one of Washington?s 39 counties vote by mail and ballots can be postmarked as late as Election Day."
Judge Allows Constitutional Challenge to Human Gene Patents
Posted on November 04, 2009"Opponents of patenting human gene sequences were handed a rare court victory Monday, when a federal judge refused to dismiss a suit challenging patents for two genes tied to cancers in women."
?Dejection fills ballroom after gay marriage vote?
Posted on November 04, 2009Yahoo News (AP): "For the gay rights movement, which has gained a foothold in New England, it was a stinging defeat. Gay marriage has now lost in every state ? 31 in all ? in which it has been put to a popular vote. Gay-rights activists had hoped to buck that trend in Maine, framing same-sex marriage as a matter of equality for all families in a campaign that used 8,000 volunteers to get out the message...
North Carolina: ?Openly gay? Kleinschmidt wins Chapel Hill mayoral race
Posted on November 04, 2009News & Observer: "The liberal establishment held off a band of businessmen trying to change the town's course. Two-term councilman Mark Kleinschmidt, a death-penalty defense lawyer and gay rights activist, narrowly defeated colleague Matt Czajkowski to take the reins as mayor...
Houston mayor?s race going to runoff
Posted on November 04, 2009AP: "Parker, who would be the first openly gay mayor of Houston, collected nearly 31 percent of the vote Tuesday."
Michigan: ?Kalamazoo voters approve anti-discrimination law?
Posted on November 04, 2009Detroit Free Press (AP): "Voters in Kalamazoo have approved a measure banning discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity."
?Maine Voters Repeal Gay Marriage Law?
Posted on November 04, 2009"With more than 84 percent of precincts reporting Tuesday, the side seeking to repeal the law had 53 percent of the vote. Their campaign organizer, Frank Schubert, claimed victory and declared that Maine voters had helped preserve the institution of marriage...
Washington Ref. 71 Close
Posted on November 04, 2009The Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intelligencer are reporting the totals.
Berlusconi says crucifix ruling denies Europe?s roots
Posted on November 04, 2009Reuters: "Italy's Silvio Berlusconi said on Wednesday a European Court of Human Rights ruling that called for crucifixes to be removed from Italian classrooms was a nonsensical attempt to deny Europe's Christian roots."
What power does European Court of Human Rights have over Italy?
Posted on November 04, 2009Finding Dulcinea: "The ECHR, headquartered in Strasbourg, France, was established in 1959 to supervise enforcement of the European Convention on Human Rights, drafted in 1950 by the Council of Europe . . . Member states [including Italy], by ratifying the Convention and its protocols, have committed to offering their citizens the rights provided by the Convention, and 'have undertaken to "abide by the final judgments of the Court in any case to which they are parties" (Article 46 paragraph 1, of the European Convention on Human Rights)...
The ?C? in ACLU is for cowardice
Posted on November 04, 2009Pajamas Media: "Like two prize fighters, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Alliance Defense Fund are preparing to go at it as the ACLU begins its annual season of silly lawsuits . . . The Alliance Defense Fund?s prepping a phalanx of attorneys to go to battle has brought a touch of sanity to the annual festival of PC insanity by ensuring that government bodies realize trampling on the rights of citizens out of ACLUaphobia will have consequences...
Florida: Naples church can continue to ?park? downtown on Sunday mornings
Posted on November 04, 2009NaplesNews.com: "He had expected opposition, a discussion and maybe even a fight. But on Wednesday morning, Naples City Council members gave him exactly what he wanted ? another five years in Cambier Park ? without any of that."
Church bells ring in case of religious freedom vs. homeowners
Posted on November 04, 2009ABC News: "For the first time anyone can remember, a religious leader was convicted of disturbing the peace. The bishop was given a 10-day jail sentence, which was suspended, and three years probation -- a misdemeanor for ringing church bells."
NJ: ?Foundation Puts Kibosh on Religious Parking Discount?
Posted on November 04, 2009Freedom from Religion Foundation: "The company that operates a privately owned parking ramp in Jersey City, N.J., has agreed to stop giving religious discounts to ramp users after the Freedom From Religion Foundation complained on behalf of one of its more than 300 members in New Jersey...
?Teacher Tells Texas Public School First-Graders to Pray?
Posted on November 04, 2009Freedom from Religion Foundation: "First-graders in a Hondo, Texas, public elementary school will no longer be saying prayers at the direction of their teacher, said the school principal in response to a complaint from the Freedom From Religion Foundation on behalf of one of its Texas members...
Wisconsin Supreme Court dismisses challenge to domestic partner registry
Posted on November 04, 2009"The court offered no explanation in an order issued Tuesday . . . The group's attorneys, Richard Esenberg and Michael Dean, issued a statement saying they were disappointed but the they could now bring the suit at the trial court level."
Obama nominates two to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals
Posted on November 04, 2009Washington Post: "Obama nominated Judge Albert Diaz, a North Carolina superior court judge who handles complex business cases, and Judge James Wynn, of North Carolina's state Court of Appeals, to serve on the federal appeals court."
Russian Baptists alarmed by proposed changes to religion law
Posted on November 04, 2009ABP: "Russian Baptist leaders have raised concerns about proposed revisions to the nation's religion law -- changes they contend would greatly curtail religious freedom in Russia."
Protect Marriage Washington: R-71 vote is extremely close, prayers urged
Posted on November 04, 2009"As you may know, the R-71 count is very close. As of 11:11pm this morning, our opponents hold a slight lead of 51.03% - 48.97%. Please do not be discouraged by the liberal media folks prematurely pronouncing victory for the other side, 'cuz this race ain't over 'til it's over'...
IRS new regulations ignore First Amendment rights of churches
Posted on November 04, 2009Becket Fund: "Today, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty issued an official commentary on proposed IRS regulations which affect the First Amendment rights of religious organizations. The proposed regulations, issued in response to a court decision striking down the IRS?s approval process for auditing churches, do not include any requirement for the IRS to consider the rights of churches under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act or the First Amendment...
PA court rejects combination of buffer and bubble zones
Posted on November 04, 2009Ms. Magazine: "The ordinance was challenged in 2006 by the Alliance Defense Fund on behalf of Mary Kathryn Brown, a longtime Pittsburgh clinic protestor."
MA: Revere continues contraception policy in high school
Posted on November 04, 2009Boston Globe: "Revere voters turned down a controversial ballot initiative yesterday that would have ended the practice of allowing high school students to get contraception, including condoms and the morning-after pill, at the school?s health clinic...
Austin R. Nimocks on NewsTalk WLOB : Social Worker?s livelihood threatened for defending marriage
Posted on November 04, 2009ADF Attorney Austin R. Nimocks appeared on NewsTalk WLOB with Ray Richardson and Ted Talbot to discuss the case of a Maine Social Worker whose livelihood has been threatened for defending marriage. Related ADF Media Information page here. The MP3 runs just under 7 minutes.
Wisconsin Republicans block vote on birth control education
Posted on November 04, 2009Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: "Democrats tried to pass a bill Tuesday that would require schools that teach sex education to instruct students about birth control, but Republicans blocked final passage of the measure."
?How San Francisco went from prudish to porn capital?
Posted on November 04, 2009San Francisco Weekly: "Yet, contrary to common lore," Josh Sides writes, "nothing in San Francisco's history determined it to become an internationally renowned bastion of sexual libertinism. Instead, sex radicals created it, despite fierce resistance from several generations of the city's residents...
UK: Advertising Standards Authority says pornography isn?t pornographic
Posted on November 04, 2009The Register: "British parents can be reassured that a newspaper picture of a man and woman having sex at the base of tree to advertise a film which "Contains strong real sex, bloody violence and self-mutilation" is not pornographic. The Advertising Standards Authority made the ruling after seven complainants turned to it in horror after seeing ads for the film Antichrist which appeared in the Guardian, The Times and the Independent...
Maryland: Pregnancy Centers still face Harassment Bill in the City
Posted on November 04, 2009Rob Warlick writing in The Maryland Family Protection Lobby eNews reports: "The Pregnancy Center Harassment Bill (09-0406), focused only on pro-life pregnancy centers, passed the city's Judiciary and Legislative committee this past Monday. The bill now moves to second reader before the entire City Council, scheduled for Monday, November 16th...
Court of Appeal considers case of Christian registrar who refused to conduct civil partnerships
Posted on November 04, 2009CCFON: "The case of a Christian registrar, who claims she was discriminated against by her council employers for refusing to conduct homosexual civil partnerships as a matter of religious conscience, was heard in the Court of Appeal on 2 and 3 November 2009...
No trial for University of Calgary students in pro-life display dispute
Posted on November 04, 2009Calgary Herald: "Six members of an antiabortion group that defied University of Calgary officials by refusing to alter a campus billboard campaign depicting dead fetuses will not go to trial on charges of trespassing."
Planned Parenthood attempts to strangle personhood ballot in Missouri
Posted on November 04, 2009LifeSiteNews: "Planned Parenthood is suing the state of Missouri in an attempt to keep Missouri's citizens from voting on a pro-life ballot initiative that would define 'person,' as used in certain sections of the Missouri state constitution, to include every human being 'from the beginning of the biological development of that human being...
?Backers of same-sex marriage pledge to keep up Maine fight?
Posted on November 04, 2009Boston Globe: "Proponents of same-sex marriage vowed today to continue their fight in Maine a day after voters narrowly shot it down. Opponents of gay marriage said they, too, would keep up their efforts."
11 Uncovered Videos Show School Children Performing Praises to Obama
Posted on November 04, 2009Breitbart Big Hollywood: "Big Hollywood has already posted a couple disturbing videos of young school children singing/speaking praises to President Obama, but when eleven more dropped in our email box it came as quite a shock. What seemed like an aberration now appears to be a troubling pattern...
Illinois: Board votes to enforce abortion law
Posted on November 04, 2009ABC: "On Wednesday, an Illinois medical panel cleared the way for the state to start enforcing the law, which requires parental notification for teenagers who want to have an abortion."
U.S. courts weigh challenges to wording of pledge of allegiance
Posted on November 04, 2009National Post: "More than 50 years after the words ?under God? were inserted into the U.S. pledge of allegiance a new court case could help settle once and for all if those words violate the American tradition of the separation of church and state."
Federal judges pursue judicial pay dispute in appeals court
Posted on November 04, 2009Christian Science Monitor: "Eight federal judges argue that Congress violated the Constitution when it nixed scheduled judicial pay hikes. They want an appeals court to overturn its own precedent or let the case move to the Supreme Court."
Ohio: Woman in wrong-embryo case hopes to see child soon
Posted on November 04, 2009AP: "An Ohio woman who was implanted with the wrong embryo says she hopes to visit soon with the baby boy she delivered and turned over to his biological parents."
Wisconsin: ?State Supreme Court hears arguments on gay marriage amendment?
Posted on November 04, 2009Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: "The case centers on the technical process of amending the constitution and does not hinge on the merits of whether gay couples should be allowed to marry or enter into civil unions. If the court eliminates the constitutional ban, gay marriage would still be illegal because of a state law...
?Very, very close to zero? GOPs will vote for House healthcare bill
Posted on November 04, 2009The Hill: "Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who serves as deputy GOP whip, told The Hill that the number of Republicans supporting the sweeping legislation will be 'very, very close to zero.'"
Jehovah?s Witnesses Denied Recognition By Nagorno-Karabakh Court
Posted on November 04, 2009Religion Clause Blog: "Forum 18 reported yesterday that in Nagorno-Karabakh, the General Court of First Instance in Stepanakert has upheld the denial of registration under the country's Religion Law to Jehovah's Witnesses."
Maine becomes 5th state to allow pot dispensaries
Posted on November 04, 2009Mercury News: "With Tuesday's election, Maine becomes the fifth state to allow dispensaries where marijuana can be distributed to medical patients."
Society and Marriage: Quid pro Quo
Posted on November 04, 2009Dr. Jeff Mirus writes at Catholic Culture: "The proposed law in the District of Columbia that would require institutions to provide the same treatment to same-sex couples as to married couples is just the latest in an apparently endless series of initiatives to enable same-sex individuals to claim the civil benefits of marriage...
FRC Action to Host Live Webcast Tonight on Health Care Overhaul and Election Results
Posted on November 03, 2009FRC Action: "Tonight, Tuesday, November 3, 2009, at 8:30 pm ET, FRC Action, the legislative lobbying arm of Family Research Council, will host a special one hour Webcast "Government Takeover of Health Care: Counting the Cost." FRC Action President Tony Perkins will be joined by Congressional leaders and policy experts to examine the impact of President Obama's health care plan and its cost for future generations...
The limited-government case for marriage
Posted on November 03, 2009Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D., "The Limited-Government Case for Marriage." Indivisible: Social and Economic Foundations of American Liberty. Heritage Foundation. 37-42. "Marriage is a pre-political, spontaneously arising, universal social institution...
Abortion clinic bubble zones deemed ?onerous?
Posted on November 03, 2009OneNewsNow: "'The reason is that it analyzes not only the Circuit precedent that's in existence, but also the Supreme Court precedent,' explains Cortman. 'And the court reaches not only a proper decision, but one that analyzes what the Supreme Court has already held in this area...
Third Circuit strikes down abortion clinic layered protest zones
Posted on November 03, 2009Jurist: "The ruling was the result of a lawsuit brought in 2006 by the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) on behalf of Mary Kathryn Brown, a registered nurse who works in Pittsburgh and has sought to dissuade woman from undergoing abortions for more than 15 years...
Milwaukee officers hush pro-life speech
Posted on November 03, 2009OneNewsNow: "'We've had officers who have routinely bullied these citizens for just merely expressing their religious viewpoints on the sanctity of human life, and they've even been threatened with arrest, actually arrested and even prosecuted, although not successfully, merely for standing on public sidewalks while engaging in their pro-life free speech,' [ADF Senior Legal Counsel Mike Johnson] reports...
Uncivil War: Conservatives to challenge a dozen GOP candidates
Posted on November 03, 2009Politico: "In what could be a nightmare scenario for Republican Party officials, conservative activists are gearing up to challenge leading GOP candidates in more than a dozen key House and Senate races in 2010."
?New Jews? stake claim to faith, culture
Posted on November 03, 2009CNN: "Meet the 'New Jews,' as some call them: pockets of post-baby boomers -- or more accurately Generation X and Millennial (Gen Y) Jews -- who are making one of the world's oldest known monotheistic faiths and its culture work for them and others in a time when, more than ever, affiliation is a choice...
Washington: Ballots trickle in; King county?s target: 56%
Posted on November 03, 2009"Trends point to a 50 percent ballot-return rate, but the county is sticking with its higher forecast, said county elections-division spokeswoman Megan Coppersmith."
Maine reporting steady, not heavy voting: Check here for updates
Posted on November 03, 2009This post may be updated throughout the day as information becomes available. Portland Press Herald: "Many people already voted. Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap says more than 100,000 absentee ballots have been returned."
Woman sentenced for assault on Arizona pro-lifer
Posted on November 03, 2009AZ Daily Sun: "Witnesses told police that the two women approached Wallace and began to try to take and destroy the sign he was holding. Wallace had to physically restrain the women. Minor injuries were reported."
10 Commandments overruled, now to SCOTUS
Posted on November 03, 2009OneNewsNow: "Alliance Defense Fund Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) is taking a Ten Commandments case to the U.S. Supreme Court . . . 'The District Court ruled that there was nothing constitutionally problematic about the monument [or] the Ten Commandments being on that monument because [they] have historical significance for our country,' reports [Kevin] Theriot...
Belief in marriage a career-threatening stance
Posted on November 03, 2009OneNewsNow: "'In Maine . . . we have this wonderful educator who has received prestigious awards and been nominated for Maine educator of the year,' Nimocks explains, 'and yet because he believes that marriage is one man and one woman, he is now being threatened to have his license taken away...
Arizona: Group to appeal district court?s free speech ruling
Posted on November 03, 2009The State Press: "The [Alliance Defense Fund] disagreed with the court?s decision because a college campus is a public forum for students, as the Supreme Court has ruled for many years, Hacker said. 'We believe that the court needs to address that issue of whether or not these forums are public forums because it has implications on how heavy-handed ASU can be in the future in regulating student speech,' Hacker said...
School counselor targeted for supporting Maine?s pro-marriage Question 1
Posted on November 03, 2009Catholic News Agency: "ADF Senior Legal Counsel Austin R. Nimocks criticized the complaint, saying: 'No one should have their livelihood placed in jeopardy because they believe marriage is the union of a man and a woman. This threat to Don, his family, and his career makes clear that those in favor of redefining marriage also want to penalize and silence those who don?t agree with them...
3rd Circuit: City must choose bubble or buffer
Posted on November 03, 2009Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "David Cortman, an attorney for the Alliance Defense Fund, which represents Ms. Brown in her case, praised the appellate decision. 'This one finally draws the line,' Mr. Cortman said. 'This [ordinance], we know, goes too far. It draws a boundary line as to how far cities can go to restrict speech, and that's important...
Abortion protesters win Federal appeals battle
Posted on November 03, 2009Tribune-Review: "David Cortman, an attorney for the Alliance Defense Fund, the Christian legal organization representing Brown, said the appeals court vindicated his group's contention that Pittsburgh went too far by focusing on speech instead of illegal activities such as blocking pedestrians' paths...
ME: Nokomis complaint adds fuel to same-sex ?marriage? politics
Posted on November 03, 2009Morning Sentinel: "A licensing complaint against Nokomis High School guidance counselor Don Mendell about his appearance in a TV commercial opposing gay marriage has sparked a political fight as voters go to the polls . . . Austin R. Nimocks, senior legal counsel for the [Alliance Defense Fund], said a response to the complaint would not be filed this week...
Appeals Court issues key ruling striking down abortion center buffer zone law
Posted on November 03, 2009LifeNews: "[David] Cortman told LifeNews.com, 'We agree with the court?s conclusion that the ordinance violated the free speech rights of pro-life advocates by zoning them out of areas where they have a First Amendment right to speak.'"
Pennsylvania buffer-zone law challenged
Posted on November 03, 2009CitizenLink: "'The court basically drew a well-needed line in the sand that government officials may not cross,' [David Cortman] said. 'The court agreed with us that it prohibited too much speech.'"
Arizona: ?Westernized? Muslim Daughter Dies After Being Run Over By Father
Posted on November 03, 2009ABC: "An Arizona woman allegedly run over by her Muslim father for becoming "too Westernized" has died."
Video: Planned Parenthood Leader Resigns After Watching Ultrasound of Abortion Procedure
Posted on November 03, 2009Video is available on Breitbart. Related LifeNews report: Planned Parenthood Director in Texas Resigns, Watched Ultrasound of Abortion
US Supreme Court may review Arizona E-Verify law
Posted on November 03, 2009AZ Republic: "The sanctions law, which punishes companies for hiring illegal immigrants and requires all Arizona employers to use a federal electronic system to verify the work status of employees, has been upheld by two lower courts."
Austin R. Nimocks on CBN News Video: Silenced for supporting marriage in Maine
Posted on November 03, 2009The MP4 news clip runs just over 2 minutes. Austin discusses this case: Maine counselor?s career threatened for support of marriage.
Updated: Czech court lifts last legal hurdle to EU treaty, President signs
Posted on November 03, 2009"A Czech court struck down a complaint against the EU reform treaty on Tuesday, removing the proposed charter's last legal hurdle and intensifying pressure on President Vaclav Klaus to sign it."
European court: No crucifixes in Italian schools
Posted on November 03, 2009"Europe's court of human rights ruled Tuesday the display of crucifixes in Italian public schools violates religious and education freedoms under the continent's rights convention."
Casinos in Ohio: A Dicey Proposal
Posted on November 03, 2009David Schaengold writes at Public Discourse: "Principled reasons and practical considerations suggest that proposals to legalize casino gambling misunderstand what is good for cities and states, and ultimately for people as well."
UK: Mom Battles Dad in Court Over Baby?s Right to Die
Posted on November 03, 2009Fox News: "The mother of a chronically ill baby has defended her court battle with the child's father to have his life support machine turned off."
Polyamory: Not the Final Frontier, Just the Next Step
Posted on November 03, 2009The Family Policy Council of West Virginia Engage Family Blog: "One proponent of polyamory or, as some have termed it 'ethical nonmonogamy' said 'We have rights to love any way we want unless we are harming other people?we have a right to be and do and say whatever is our full expression, and this to me is a civil right...
Saudi court upholds child rapist crucifixion ruling
Posted on November 03, 2009Reuters: "A Saudi court of cassation upheld a ruling to behead and crucify a 22-year-old man convicted of raping five children and leaving one of them to die in the desert, newspapers reported on Tuesday."
Maine Marriage Vote Close
Posted on November 03, 2009Still too close to call. Bangor Daily News Updates
Ohio Issue 3 ? Casinos
Posted on November 03, 2009Returns on the Casino measure are available at the Cleveland Plain Dealer here.
Christie Gives GOP Stunning Win In N.J.
Posted on November 03, 2009"With 5,138 of 6,305 precincts reporting, Christie led Corzine 49 percent to 44 percent."
Republican Bob McDonnell wins Virginia governor?s race easily
Posted on November 03, 2009"Former Virginia Attorney General Robert McDonnell (R) is the governor-elect of the Commonwealth after winning a race focused on local issues, rather than national dynamics."
Justices seek measure of ?marriage amendment? purpose during oral arguments
Posted on November 03, 2009State Bar of Wisconsin: ssues of standing and the best method to interpret the purpose of a constitutional amendment dominated oral arguments before the Wisconsin Supreme Court yesterday in a challenge to the 2006 ?marriage amendment? prohibiting recognition of same sex-marriage...
Healthcare provision seeks to embrace prayer treatments
Posted on November 03, 2009LA Times: "A little-noticed measure would put Christian Science healing sessions on the same footing as clinical medicine. Critics say it violates the separation of church and state."
Controversy over ?Attendance? at Church Schools
Posted on November 03, 2009CNSNews: "A memorandum from the Alabama state superintendent of education to all city and county superintendents dated September 24, 2009, has sparked a controversy regarding the church school option employed by parents providing home instruction to their children...
111 New Federal Bureaucracies Created in Democrats? Health Care Bill
Posted on November 03, 2009CNSNews: "The House Republican Conference has compiled a list of all the new boards, bureaucracies, commissions, and programs created in the House health care bill. The Republican conference describes H.R. 3962 as 'Speaker Pelosi?s government takeover of health care...
AL: ?Gay rights groups to protest religious parents? meeting?
Posted on November 03, 2009USA Today: "Several gay rights organizations have announced they plan to protest a Focus on the Family 'Love Won Out' conference on homosexuality that will be held Saturday (Nov. 7), at this city's Metropolitan Church of God."
CSWE and Lambda Legal Release First Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression Study in Social Work Education
Posted on November 03, 2009Lambda Legal: "CSWE and Lambda Legal jointly released the results of a study on sexual orientation and gender expression in social work programs aimed to determine the level of preparation for students to serve lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) individuals and LGBT youth in out-of-home care ...
US Bishops to discuss marriage initiatives
Posted on November 03, 2009Zenit: "The U.S. bishops' conference plans to review current efforts to defend marriage, including initiatives such as a new set of videos on parenthood, sexual complementarity and family."
Illinois Politics and the ACLU: An Alliance Detrimental to Adolescent Health and Parental Rights
Posted on November 03, 2009Americans United for Life Blog: "We knew the ACLU?and potentially the state of Illinois?was up to something sneaky. That suspicion has been confirmed."
Florida: Volusia leader calls for domestic partner ordinance
Posted on November 03, 2009News-Journal: "County Councilman Joshua Wagner wants the Volusia County Council to consider passing a domestic partnership ordinance Thursday that would allow a legal relationship to be formed between two unmarried adults, regardless of gender. It would be a contractual relationship, but not a marriage, Wagner said...
Ohio: Dispute ends Christmas parade
Posted on November 03, 2009"Mayor Leroy Ellington said Monday. 'I believe in Christmas.' And yet, Village Solicitor Laura Abrams advised that Amelia could be sued if public money were spent to organize an event linked to the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the mayor said...
Vatican protests ruling on crucifixes in Italy
Posted on November 03, 2009Breitbart (AP): "The Vatican has denounced a ruling by the European court of human rights that said the display of crucifixes in Italian public schools violates religious and educational freedoms."
RI gov signs bill banning indoor prostitution
Posted on November 03, 2009Boston Globe (AP): "Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri has signed legislation closing a loophole that made indoor prostitution legal and allowed more than 30 suspected brothels to operate around the state."
Santa Clara Conference: The History of International Law in the Supreme Court
Posted on November 03, 2009Santa Clara Law: "During this conference, scholars will evaluate recent Supreme Court decisions involving international law against the backdrop of eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth-century precedents and historical developments. The main questions to be addressed are: In what respects do the twenty-first century decisions represent a break from the past? In what respects are those decisions consistent with earlier practice and precedents? From a historical perspective, how can we account for both the continuity and the discontinuity?"
War on Christmas Commences
Posted on November 03, 2009Catholic League: "For almost three decades, there has been a Christmas parade in Amelia, Ohio, a village outside Cincinnati. But this year there will be none. That?s because one person complained, village solicitor Laura Abrams. Her complaint: the word 'Christmas...
UK: Belief in ?climate change? now protected under religious discrimination law
Posted on November 03, 2009BBC News: "His solicitor, Shah Qureshi, said: 'Essentially what the judgment says is that a belief in man-made climate change and the alleged resulting moral imperative is capable of being a philosophical belief and is therefore protected by the 2003 religion or belief regulations...
Chris Christie?s Next Case: Who Stole My Election?
Posted on November 03, 2009WSJ: "Moreover, if serious allegations of fraud emerge, you can also expect less-than-vigorous investigation by the Obama Justice Department -- which showed just how seriously it takes such allegations when it walked away from an open-and-shut voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party in Philadelphia earlier this year...
WSJ Video: ?Education Inflation: College Costs Skyrocket?
Posted on November 03, 2009The Wall Street Journal carries this video report. Rapidly rising costs are attributed in part to government subsidization --- the third party payer system.
Hutchison irks right by including ?gay? judge as U.S. attorney pick
Posted on November 03, 2009"Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has sent the White House two suggestions for the post of U.S. attorney in San Antonio. One of the candidates is a highly regarded career prosecutor and judge who also, it turns out, is openly gay . . . "
?Ebay removes anti-abortion memorabilia from site?
Posted on November 02, 2009Boston Globe (AP): "Online auction house eBay says it has begun removing several items put up for sale by anti-abortion activists trying to raise funds for the man accused of killing a Kansas abortion provider . . . "
Peggy Noonan: We?re Governed by Callous Children
Posted on November 02, 2009Peggy Noonan writes at the Wall Street Journal: "This is historic. This is something new in modern political history, and I'm not sure we're fully noticing it. Americans are starting to think the problems we are facing cannot be solved . . . When I see those in government, both locally and in Washington, spend and tax and come up each day with new ways to spend and tax?health care, cap and trade, etc...
The Constitutionality of Health Insurance Reform, Part II: Congressional Power
Posted on November 02, 2009Michael C. Dorf writes at Findlaw: "In my last column and an accompanying blog entry, I considered and rejected the objection that an individual mandate would be an unprecedented burden on liberty because it would affirmatively direct conduct, rather than either forbidding conduct or imposing affirmative obligations on only those who engage in conduct that the government has the power to forbid...
Planned Parenthood director leaves, has change of heart
Posted on November 02, 2009KBTX: "Planned Parenthood has been a part of Abby Johnson's life for the past eight years; that is until last month, when Abby resigned. Johnson said she realized she wanted to leave, after watching an ultrasound of an abortion procedure."
Christians Start Their Own Twitter
Posted on November 02, 2009Christian Newswire: "After posting an article in support of Rush Limbaugh, James L. Paris was suspended from Twitter two weeks ago. Although his account was reinstated after eight days, Paris decided to start his own Christian version of Twitter called Christian Chirp www...
Religious displays barred in Wash. state Capitol
Posted on November 02, 2009Seattle Times: "The state is trying to avoid another holiday-season controversy by barring religious and other nongovernmental displays inside buildings at the Capitol campus in Olympia."
?RI lawmakers back funeral planning rights for gays?
Posted on November 02, 2009Associated Press: "Gays in Rhode Island would get the right to plan the funerals of their late partners under a bill heading to Gov. Don Carcieri's desk."
Amendment to abolish blasphemy in Northern Ireland withdrawn
Posted on November 02, 2009CCFON: "The House of Lords debated yesterday, 28 October 2009, Lord Lester's clause included in the Coroners and Justice Bill to abolish blasphemy in Northern Ireland."
France slams Uganda?s anti-homosexuality bill
Posted on November 02, 2009Sky News: "France has joined the United States in publicly condemning Uganda's proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which would vastly strengthen the country's anti-gay laws."
N.Y.C. Ballot Box Battleground on Same-Sex ?Marriage?
Posted on November 02, 2009PRNewswire: "The Righteous Voter's Guide issued a rallying cry for religious voters, singling out New York City candidates who support 'same-sex' marriage . . . The Guide investigates the fall of Dede Scozzofava, in a Heavenly victory that sent a warning over the heads of Republican State Senators being wooed to same-sex marriage by Governor David Paterson at an upcoming special session ...
Maine to vote on marriage
Posted on November 02, 2009Washington Post: "Public opinion surveys in Maine show a dead heat on Question 1, which would cancel the marriage statute that passed the legislature in May and was signed by Gov. John E. Baldacci (D)."
Killing for Organs: Should We Harvest Those Wanting Euthanasia or Due to Receive Capital Punishment?
Posted on November 02, 2009Wesley Smith writes at the First Things Secondhand Smoke Blog: "aI have been warning that the drive has been renewed to expand the number of organ donors by opening the door to killing for organs, in this column about. Now, another article in the journal Bioethics, by Christian Coons and Noah Levin, add new targets to the list of potential (killed-for-organs) donors?people who want assisted suicide and prisoners due to receive capital punishment...
Alan Sears: Why enable pornographers?
Posted on November 02, 2009ADF President and General Counsel Alan Sears writing in the Washington Times: "Faced with the astonishing apathy of so many judges, legislators and government officials on an issue with such devastating implications for our most vulnerable citizens, it's hard not to think that those who would pay any price to sustain their lucrative traffic in pornography are delighted to have found federal law enforcers who buy into their agenda...
Texas Law on Children Seeing Porn Being Challenged
Posted on November 02, 2009CNSNews: "A 1970s-era Texas law that allows parents to show "harmful material" to their children has come under fire after a prosecutor said he couldn't file charges against a man accused of forcing his 8- and 9-year-old daughters to watch hardcore online pornography...
How the Recent UN Human Rights Council Resolution on Freedom of Speech Exemplifies the Dangers of Authoritarian Regimes? Influence over International Human Rights Law
Posted on November 02, 2009Ilya Somin writes at the Volokh Conspiracy: "The recent UN Human Rights Council Resolution endorsed by the Obama Administration exemplifies a key weakness of international human rights law that John McGinnis and I have focused on in our academic work (e...
D.C. mother, activist to lead Louisville rally for education reform, school choice
Posted on November 02, 2009Bluegrass Institute: "As a single mother of three children, nationally known activist Virginia Walden Ford led an overwhelmingly successful grassroots movement to bring school choice to Washington, D.C. Ford brings her message that 'parents deserve a choice so kids can have a chance' to Louisville this Friday...
Illinois parental notification law goes into effect Tuesday
Posted on November 02, 2009Chicago Tribune: "Physicians in Illinois this week must begin notifying a parent or guardian when a girl 17 or younger seeks an abortion -- a rule abortion opponents long have sought, but which critics say could keep minors from seeking safe procedures...
Massachusetts man fired from corporation over Christian belief in traditional marriage
Posted on November 02, 2009"Peter remarked that his Christian beliefs did not accept same-sex marriage. At that point the woman became very angry and bluntly told Peter that he needed to 'get over it' and said that she would be immediately contacting the Human Resources department ...
Tomorrow?s Election to Decide Fate of Marriage in Two States
Posted on November 02, 2009?We always have to take polls with a grain of salt. Sometimes they're done as push polls, to influence Election day, rather than being a reflection of the voters views,? she said."
DC Council mutes public?s voice
Posted on November 02, 2009OneNewsNow: "'Well, the fundamental issue here in the District of Columbia is the right of the citizens to vote,' notes Nimocks. 'The citizens have a right to make laws, just like the Council does, and yet they are being denied their right to vote on the most important fundamental issue of our time and day -- and that is the issue of marriage...
A dark day for American Christianity
Posted on November 02, 2009Bill Muehlenberg writes in Christian Today Australia: "Erik Stanley of the Alliance Defense Fund points out the foolishness and danger of 'hate crimes' legislation: 'These types of crimes are already punishable under existing federal, state, and local laws...
The prayer debate: When is it OK to pray in school?
Posted on November 02, 2009Panama City News Herald: "'It?s not an automatic violation of the so-called separation of church and state because religious remarks come over the PA system,' said David Cortman, senior legal counsel with Alliance Defense Fund. 'The more particular facts should be applied, not an erroneous broad brush, which is why the Santa Fe case doesn?t apply as particularly to these situations as Adler v...
Pro-Life group gains access to school facilities
Posted on November 02, 2009Dakota Voice: "'We appreciate the efforts of the school district in working with us to create an even-handed policy,' said ADF allied attorney Stephen Wesolick, also representing Citizens for Life. 'We hope other school districts will follow Rapid City School District?s lead in ensuring that the constitutional rights of all community groups are protected...
Does Celebration church have a prayer of getting Naples approval to stay in Cambier?
Posted on November 02, 2009Naples News: "The church in 1999 was kicked out of Lowdermilk Park at the beach . . . The city in December told the church it could only use Cambier Park beginning in 2000. This time, though, the church has more than its congregation behind it. Attorneys from both the Liberty Counsel and the Alliance Defense Fund have stepped up to say they plan to join the fight to allow Celebration Community Beach Church to stay in the park...
Does separation of church and state have a prayer?
Posted on November 02, 2009Panama City News Herald: "Several legal experts interviewed strongly suggest that such prayers aren?t OK . . . Not everyone agrees. Said David Cortman, senior defense counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund: 'There?s a difference between a government-sponsored religion and going so far as to limit private religious speech...
Judicial nominations pile up, and parties blame each other
Posted on November 02, 2009McClatchyDC.com: "Hiring a federal judge requires an act of Congress, but Congress hasn't been in much of a hiring mode lately."
Penn. Supreme Court race: Nasty campaign belittles quality candidates
Posted on November 02, 2009PennLive.com: "Party leaders have been saying for months that the election is so important because the Supreme Court could weigh in on legislative redistricting next year when the General Assembly goes to work realigning districts based on new census numbers...
Religious reaction to new ?hate crime? law mixed
Posted on November 02, 2009Tulsa World: "Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, called it 'a grave threat to the First Amendment designed to forward a political agenda and silence critics, not combat actual crime.'"
Wisconsin Ponders Replacing Abstinence-Only Program with Contraceptive Sex Ed
Posted on November 02, 2009LifeSiteNews: "The Healthy Youth Act (AB-458 and SB-324), introduced by Democrat state Rep. Tamara Grigsby and Sen. Lena Taylor last month, aims to establish a contraceptive-promoting state curriculum for all schools that have a Human Growth and Development Program...
House?s Final Version of Massive Health Care Bill Poised to Instigate Government-Funded Abortion
Posted on November 02, 2009LifeSiteNews: "Democratic House leadership yesterday unveiled the final version of the health care overhaul on Thursday, one that keeps intact language to immediately initiate government funding for elective abortions."
Emergency Webcast Tonight to Combat Imminent Passage of Abortion-Funding Healthcare
Posted on November 02, 2009LifeSiteNews: "The live webcast is being run by the Stop the Abortion Mandate Coalition, an alliance of over 70 pro-life and pro-family organizations across America who have joined together to help stop legislation that pro-life leaders have called the largest expansion of abortion since Roe...
Wash. voters get final say on gay partnerships
Posted on November 02, 2009Seattle Times: "Washington state's slow-but-steady approach to increasing rights and benefits to gay and lesbian couples hit its first snag just as the three-year process appeared to be complete."
President Barack Obama Violating Pledge For No Abortion Funding in Health Care
Posted on November 02, 2009LifeNews: "During an address to Congress in September, President Barack Obama promised there would be no abortion funding in his health care plans. However, a new report today indicates Obama has been personally lobbying members of Congress to vote for the current bills, all of which fund abortions...
Maine: Counselor?s role in Yes on 1 spot yields complaint
Posted on November 02, 2009Kennebec Journal: "A guidance counselor from Nokomis Regional High School in Newport faces a complaint from another school counselor because of his stand against same-sex marriage, as espoused in a recent television advertisement . . . 'No American should have his or her livelihood threatened for believing marriage is a union of one man and one woman,' said Austin R...
Washington State Adopts Final Rules On Displays and Gatherings At Capitol
Posted on November 02, 2009Religion Clause Blog: "Yesterday's Seattle Times reports that in order to avoid the controversies that were generated during last year's holiday season, only government-sponsored displays will be allowed inside buildings."
TN: Fowler objects to EPB cable options, inclusion of pornography
Posted on November 02, 2009WDEF: "EPB says it's not getting any complaints about it's available television programming, but former State Senator David Fowler says it includes pornography . . . DAVID FOWLER: 'The city of Chattanooga and the Electric Power Board do not legally have to offer cable, I've confirmed that with attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund...
Honor Killings All Over America?Why Are the Islamists Suddenly Silent?
Posted on November 02, 2009Pajamas Media Chesler Chronicles: "In order to prevent and prosecute honor killings we must first understand what they are; who carries them out and why. As yet, we do not know how many honor killings take place in the West or in developing countries...
Same-sex marriage law in D.C. could ?suppress? Catholic institutions, archdiocese warns
Posted on November 02, 2009CNA: "A Washington, D.C. City Council proposal to recognize same-sex 'marriage' would redefine marriage and could force Catholic educational and charitable institutions to close or face lawsuits, burdensome regulation and the compromising of their faith, the Archdiocese of Washington has warned...
In India, Hindu extremism sharpens
Posted on November 02, 2009Baptist Press: "After more than a decade of severe persecution, India's Christian minority is growing increasingly concerned over the mushrooming of newer, more violent Hindu extremist groups."
Illinois May Not Enforce Parental Notification Abortion Law ACLU Wants Overturned
Posted on November 02, 2009LifeNews: "Illinois officials may not enforce the new parental notification on abortion law expected to take effect on Tuesday. They may lengthen the 90-day grace period they already gave abortion practitioners even though similar laws are in place in more than two dozen states across the country...
Stakes are high in Maine?s vote on marriage
Posted on November 02, 2009AP: "If voters uphold the law, it will be the first time the electorate in any state has endorsed marital rights for same-sex couples, energizing activists nationwide and deflating a long-standing conservative argument that gay marriage lacks popular support...
The Community Defense Reporter Online: Protecting Children and Their Neighborhoods
Posted on October 30, 2009The September 2009 edition of the Community Defense Reporter is now available online at the Community Defense Counsel.
Planned Parenthood Missouri Attempts to Shut Down Personhood by Lawsuit Against State of Missouri
Posted on October 30, 2009Christian Newswire: "Planned Parenthood sued the State of Missouri this week to challenge two pro-life ballot initiatives, in an apparent effort to stifle the people's constitutional right to the ballot process."
Florida: ?City OKs benefits for same-sex couples?
Posted on October 30, 2009Tallahassee.com: "City Hall chambers erupted in cheers and applause Wednesday after the Tallahassee City Commission unanimously voted to change its benefits policy to include same-sex and domestic partnerships."
Focus on the Family Takes Next Step in Leadership Transition
Posted on October 30, 2009Focus on the Family: "Focus on the Family Founder and Chairman Emeritus James C. Dobson, Ph.D., will leave the ministry as its primary radio voice at the end of February, the ministry announced today."
Stupak Town Hall Video: I Would Ultimately Vote for Abortion-Expanding Health Bill
Posted on October 30, 2009LifeSiteNews: "A video released by the Heritage Foundation blog appears to show Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak, whose efforts against the health care bill's abortion expansion had emerged as the pro-life community's primary strategy in the House, admitting that he would ultimately vote for the health bill even with government-funded abortion if it otherwise met his standards...
UK Abortion Guidelines for Northern Ireland Ignore Province?s Pro-Life Laws
Posted on October 30, 2009LifeSiteNews: "Recently issued physicians' guidelines from the UK's Department of Health ignore the fact that abortion is illegal in Northern Ireland and presume that abortion is a legitimate form of healthcare for women say pro-life campaigners, who are in court today arguing their side of the issue...
Rep. Miller: No amendments likely as healthcare reform bill moves forward
Posted on October 30, 2009The Hill: "A House Democratic leader strongly hinted Friday that amendments won?t be allowed on the healthcare bill."
Blackstone Fellows and the Alliance Defense Fund: Can Girls Rule?
Posted on October 30, 2009Regent Law Professor Lynne Marie Kohm, writing at the Regent Law Family Restoration blog: "Well, I can tell you why ADF is more competent in this representation than most attorneys ? because of the excellent litigation training provided to attorneys around the globe in ADF?s National Litigation Academies (NLA) and their annual Blackstone Legal Fellowship program...
2nd Circuit denies rehearing in conscientious objector case
Posted on October 30, 2009How Appealing links to the ruling Watson v. Geren, No. 07-2563 (2nd Cir. Oct. 30, 2009)
Jeb Bush: Obama trying to ?attack capitalism?
Posted on October 30, 2009CNN: "'I think President Obama has used the bully pulpit as a way to attack capitalism,' he said, according to LegalNewsline.com."
ADF: Univ. of Florida ends discrimination against Christian frat
Posted on October 30, 2009Tracking American Evangelical Politics: "The Alliance Defense Fund reports that the University of Florida has ended its discriminatory treatment of a Christian fraternity, thanks in large part to a lawsuit filed by the ADF and the Christian Legal Society...
Mormon Tabernacle revival service is latest sign of openness to evangelicals
Posted on October 30, 2009Christianity Today: "One undoubted factor in the search for better relations is that evangelicals and Mormons today unite on various moral issues and feel on the defensive, especially in shared opposition to same-sex marriage. Whatever differences they may have about the nature of God, 'when you've been in the trenches together, it often generates new respect,' said evangelical attorney David French, who leads the Alliance Defense Fund's (ADF) campus religious freedom project...
Craigslist legally protected despite prostitution ads
Posted on October 30, 2009OneNewsNow: "A federal judge has thrown out a Chicago lawsuit against Craigslist . . . 'He suggests that Craigslist is without any liability whatsoever for hosting a portion of their website titled "erotic" and another one called "adult" that are filled with prostitution ads,' Trueman explains...
DC: Marriage referendum supporters pack hearing
Posted on October 30, 2009Washington Blade: "Alliance Defense Fund attorneys Cleta Mitchell and Austin Nimocks reiterated arguments made in June ? that the board misinterpreted the election law and that existing city law requires the board to approve a marriage initiative for the ballot in 2010...
Knox school system cleared in Bible case
Posted on October 30, 2009Knoxville News Sentinel: "'We are disappointed in the verdict,' Kellum said. 'We wanted a policy change, or a court ruling, and we still do not have either. We are still very much concerned that at any point in time, a school administrator can step in and say, "You can't do that...
?Lambda Legal Warns SkyWest and Delta Air Lines To Stop Discriminating Against Married Gay Employees?
Posted on October 30, 2009SDGLN.com: "Lambda Legal sent a letter yesterday to SkyWest and Delta Airlines warning the companies that their treatment of gay employees' spouses and registered domestic partners violates not only the airlines' own policies, but also California law...
S.D. pro-life group no longer denied access to school campus
Posted on October 30, 2009Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund have obtained a settlement from officials with the Rapid City Area School District in a lawsuit involving a pro-life group?s request to use a school auditorium for an after-school meeting.
Maine counselor?s career threatened for support of marriage
Posted on October 30, 2009A high school counselor who supports marriage between one man and one woman has been reported to a Maine licensing board because of his views.
Two Courts Around the World Rule On Conscientious Objector Claims
Posted on October 30, 2009Religion Clause Blog: "In different parts of the world this week, courts were examining the question of conscientious objector exemptions from military service . . . "
?US: Mass. can?t force gay marriage benefits?
Posted on October 30, 2009AP: "States that allow gay marriage can't force the federal government to provide benefits to those couples, the Obama administration argued Friday in court papers in a lawsuit by Massachusetts."
UN panel faults Russia?s support for human rights
Posted on October 30, 2009AP: "On Friday a new U.N. Human Rights Committee report on Russia called for a series of sweeping legal reforms, saying the country is still struggling to guarantee some of the most basic rights, including to a fair trial, freedom of speech and freedom of the press...
Okla. hearing aimed at shaping ?sexting? measure
Posted on October 30, 2009"Teenagers may think it's harmless, but sending sexually explicit pictures and messages over cell phones can lead to emotional problems and criminal charges that will affect them for the rest of their lives, criminal justice officials said."
Bigamy charges against Texas sect leader dismissed
Posted on October 30, 2009AP: "Bigamy charges against the leader of the House of Yahweh religious sect in West Texas have been dropped as part of a plea agreement."
ADF Alliance Alert Technical Difficulties
Posted on October 30, 2009We have had some technical difficulties with the ADF Alliance Alert web server during the course of an upgrade. We are working to resolve those and apologize for any periodic outages and inconvenience. Thank you.
Lederman on the Constitutionality of Hate Crimes Legislation
Posted on October 29, 2009Volokh Conspiracy: "Marty Lederman has this new post up at Balkinization on why he thinks the new hate crimes legislation is constitutional."
ADF-allied attorney available to media after hearing in important religious land use case
Posted on October 29, 2009Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney John Mauck will be available for media interviews following his oral argument before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit Friday in an important religious land use battle that heated up when the city of Chicago blocked the use of a Christian ministry?s property for Hurricane Katrina victims.
New Report Shows Late-term Abortionist Martin Haskell Above the Law and Dangerous
Posted on October 29, 2009Christian Newswire: "Operation Rescue has released a three-part report documenting how late-term abortionist Martin Haskell has used his considerable influence over years of legal wrangling in order to keep his Dayton abortion clinic open even though it does not meet the safety requirements prescribed by law...
Alan E. Sears on the Michael Medved Show: Criminalizing thought ?In Justice?
Posted on October 29, 2009ADF President and General Counsel Alan E. Sears appeared on the Michael Medved Show to discuss passage of the so-called "hate crimes" legislation and talk about his new book: "In Justice." The MP3 runs approximately 16 minutes. Barnes and Noble: In Justice
Parent files lawsuit against Holly Area Schools over religious flier ban
Posted on October 29, 2009Flint Journal: "Legal documents were filed Wednesday against Holly Area Schools, alleging the Oakland County-based school district was in violation of constitutional law in preventing an elementary school student from handing out fliers promoting a Christian youth camp last June ...
Arizona opportunity scholarships allowed to stand
Posted on October 29, 2009CitizenLink: "Gary McCaleb, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, which filed a friend of the court brief in the case, said the program gives parents the options they deserve."
?President Obama signs defense-hate crimes bill?
Posted on October 29, 2009Denver Political Buzz Examiner: "Erik Stanley, Senior Legal Counsel for the group called the legislation 'another nail in the coffin of the First Amendment.' Other opponents cite cases in both Canada and Sweden, where Christians have been prosecuted for quoting the Bible on homosexuality...
Is monogamy realistic?
Posted on October 29, 2009CNN Living: "Lipton and Barash, who have been married 32 years and are the co-authors of 'Strange Bedfellows' and 'The Myth of Monogamy,' said serial monogamy may be more realistic -- a model in which people move from one committed long-term relationship to another and choose partners for different reasons at different stages of their life...
?First openly gay US attorney begins job in Wash.?
Posted on October 29, 2009Google News (AP): "But as a daughter of privilege ? her dad was a powerful Democratic state senator, and she had all the benefits of a comfortable upbringing and a good education ? Jenny Durkan also recalls what someone once told her: 'You're the most non-diverse diverse person I know...
New York City Ranks #8 in Top Ten of Public Charter School Communities by Enrollment
Posted on October 29, 2009Reuters: "Demand remains strongest in urban areas - and as a result, charter "market share" is growing rapidly in cities and adjacent suburbs, even while the overall number of students remains a modest portion of nationwide enrollment. 'Charter schools are working at scale in a growing number of American cities,' according to Nelson Smith, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools...
4th Circuit Nominee Gets Committee Backing
Posted on October 29, 2009Blog of the Legal Times: "The Senate Judiciary Committee today gave its blessing to Barbara Keenan, nominated for a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit."
Judge Alex Kozinski apologizes for distributing crude jokes; Ethics panel concludes its investigation
Posted on October 28, 2009How Appealing reports on the latest ruling and links to several reports.
Court Says New Hampshire Town?s Zoning Refusal Violates RLUIPA
Posted on October 28, 2009Religion Clause Blog: "Yesterday's Keene (NH) Sentinel reports that a New Hampshire trial court judge has ruled that the Richmond, New Hampshire planning and zoning boards violated the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act in dealing with the zoning application of a conservative Catholic church...
Kuwait High Court Rejects Challenge To Election of Women MPs Who Refuse To Wear Hijab
Posted on October 28, 2009Religion Clause Blog: "Kuwait's Constitutional Court-- the country's highest tribunal-- today rejected an attempt by four voters to invalidate the election of two women members of Parliament."
Signature Campaign Begins On California Anti-Divorce Amendment [Updated]
Posted on October 28, 2009Religion Clause Blog: "According to Huffington Post last month, the proponent, John Marcotte, introduced the amendment to mock the proponents of Proposition 8 who focused on protecting traditional marriage as a reason to oppose same-sex marriage."
PA: Custody battle arises between father, stepfather
Posted on October 28, 2009OneNewsNow: "The story begins with a marriage between Eric Harner and his wife. The couple soon had a daughter, but divorced three years later, leaving primary custody of the child with the mother. Alliance Defense Fund attorney David Dye tells OneNewsNow that both remarried...
PA: Prayer, silence start many meetings
Posted on October 28, 2009The Reporter: "Not everything on the agenda of local municipalities deals with governmental matters ? including an invocation, prayer or moment of silence . . . 'The First Amendment allows public officials to decide what is appropriate for acknowledging our nation's religious history and heritage,' said Mike Johnson, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund...
UK: Jewish school JFS refused to admit boy on religious grounds, court told
Posted on October 28, 2009Guardian: "Britain's most successful Jewish school told the supreme court today it had discriminated against a 12-year-old boy on religious rather than racial grounds."
George Soros launches a $50 million effort to purge economics of its free-market zeal
Posted on October 28, 2009EducationNews.org: "This week Soros is gathering some of the leading practitioners of the market-skeptic school, who were marginalized during the era of 'free-market fundamentalism,' among them Nobelists Joseph Stiglitz, George Akerlof, Michael Spence, and Sir James Mirrlees...
Newdow challenge to the Pledge of Allegiance moves from New Hampshire to Massachusetts
Posted on October 28, 2009Becket Fund: "In his latest constitutional challenge to the Pledge of Allegiance, atheist activist Dr. Michael Newdow has appealed a loss in New Hampshire federal district court to the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston."
TN: Knox school officials say lawsuit unnecessary
Posted on October 28, 2009Knoxville News Sentinel: "Knox County Schools officials testified in U.S. District Court on Tuesday that they are being sued over an action they never took in a situation that could have easily been resolved outside of a courtroom . . . The Whitsons are being represented by the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal organization that takes cases such as theirs...
Student at center of ?no Bible at recess? case testifies
Posted on October 28, 2009WBIR: "[Luke Whitson] was 9 years old, in the 4th grade at Karns Elementary School, when he and some other kids started reading the Bible during recess and discussing it. Both sides in the lawsuit agree that wasn't a problem until a parent complained ...
Origin of Species gets a facelift for 150th anniversary
Posted on October 28, 2009CitizenLink: "Mike Johnson, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, which is part of the campaign, said he hopes the project sparks important discussions on campuses. 'We wanted to get involved to ensure that no one gets in the way of those rights,' he said...
St. Louis agrees to end ban on Christian handouts during ?gay pride?
Posted on October 28, 2009LifeSiteNews: "'Christian groups shouldn't be banned from public areas for expressing their beliefs,' said Nelson, who served as lead counsel in the lawsuit. 'We are pleased that the city of St. Louis now recognizes the First Amendment rights of ministries who wish to share their viewpoint on important social and moral issues at events taking place at public locations...
Evangelists target spiritually cold New England
Posted on October 28, 2009AP: "Dead churches are a familiar story in New England, which recent surveys indicate is now the least religious region in the country. But some see opportunity in a place where America's Christian faith laid its roots."
The WellPoint Revelation: Private insurance premiums could triple under ObamaCare
Posted on October 28, 2009Wall Street Journal: "In all of the 14 states WellPoint scrutinized, ObamaCare would drive up premiums for the small businesses and individuals who are most of WellPoint's customers . . . Young and healthy consumers will see the largest increases?their premiums would more than triple in some states?though average middle-class buyers will pay more too...
Germany: Lutheran Church elects 1st female leader
Posted on October 28, 2009AP: "Germany's Lutheran Church has elected a woman to lead the nation's Protestants for the first time in its history."
Wisconsin: ?Unhealthy Youth Act? passes in Assembly Committee; hearing scheduled in Senate
Posted on October 28, 2009Wisconsin Family Action has forwarded an email that reports: "Unhealthy Youth Act" passes in Assembly Committee; hearing scheduled in Senate Yesterday the Assembly Education Committee voted on AB 458, the so-called "Healthy Youth Act," the bill that would require that all Wisconsin school districts that have a Human Growth & Development program must teach "comprehensive sex ed...
Psychiatric Meds Can Bring on Rapid Weight Gain in Kids
Posted on October 28, 2009US News & World Report: "Many young children and adolescents taking drugs for severe psychiatric problems gain substantial weight and, in some cases, show increased levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in their blood, researchers report in the Oct...
?Opposite-Sex Marriage??
Posted on October 28, 2009"Here?s how it will play out in the classroom: kindergartners will be told that some adults choose same-sex marriage and some choose opposite-sex marriage."
9th Circuit: National community standard must be applied in regulating Internet obscenity
Posted on October 28, 2009How Appealing reports on the today's ruling in U.S. v. Kilbride, No. 07-10528 (9th Cir. Oct. 28, 2009). This post will be updated.
Tucson police make arrest in strip club killing
Posted on October 28, 2009AZ Daily Star: "Tucson police have arrested a 28-year-old man in connection with a shooting death outside a midtown strip club early Wednesday, the second homicide outside the business in the last three months."
Washington: Federal judge rejects R-71 opponents? bid to lift donor limit
Posted on October 28, 2009"A federal judge has denied emergency requests from a group called Washington Family PAC, which wanted to suspend a ban on large campaign contributions and a requirement to identify donors."
?Maine?s pro-same sex marriage field leader outlines the path to victory?
Posted on October 28, 2009San Francisco Chronicle: "Most turnout estimates project that 500,000 Mainers will vote in Tuesday's election. The No on 1 (pro-same sex marriage) campaign -- in the person of senior field consultant Darlene Huntress -- believes that they have found 275,000 people who will vote their way...
MSU profs offer same-sex ?marriage? solution: remote technology
Posted on October 28, 2009Detroit Free Press: "A pair of law professors at Michigan State University have launched an effort to legitimize the use of long-distance 'proxy marriage' as a way for same-sex couples in states which prohibit gay marriage to legally wed."
MI: Holly parent sues school district over religious flier ban
Posted on October 28, 2009Detroit News: "The mother of a Holly elementary school student filed a federal lawsuit against the school district today, alleging Holly Area Schools violated her son's constitutional rights when it barred him from distributing religious fliers at Patterson Elementary School ...
Texas: Travis County could Spend $450,000 for Abortions; Refuses to Discuss with Citizens
Posted on October 28, 2009Free Market Foundation Legislative Update: "We testified last week against Travis County?s efforts last week to use $450,000 of taxpayer funds to pay for abortions. Their response by the Travis County Health District after ours and the testimony of many others, was to run and hide ...
Ariz. Supreme Court lets victory for children?s tuition program stand
Posted on October 28, 2009The Arizona Supreme Court Tuesday handed a defeat to the American Civil Liberties Union in its attempt to have a program that funds scholarships for low- and middle-income children declared unconstitutional.
Google urges support for Referendum 71 to undermine marriage
Posted on October 28, 2009The Seattle Post-Intelligencer carries Google's letter of endorsement.
Everyone welcome except churches, ADF sues Mich. school district
Posted on October 28, 2009"Atorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund filed suit in federal court Wednesday after Holly Area School District officials refused to allow a Christian student to distribute personal invitations to a Vacation Bible School even though other students and community groups have been allowed to distribute literature...
ADF attorneys ask U.S. Supreme Court to review Okla. Ten Commandments decision
Posted on October 28, 2009"Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund asked the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday to review a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit that said a Ten Commandments display at the Haskell County, Okla., courthouse is unconstitutional."
Kevin Theriot on Reality Check Live: St. Louis scraps a problematic literature distribution policy
Posted on October 28, 2009ADF attorney Kevin Theriot appeared on Reality Check Live with Mike and Claire Monokian to discuss this: City of St. Louis agrees to end unconstitutional literature distribution policy. The MP3 runs just over 7 minutes.
Human trafficking ?survivor? to speak at Miami summit
Posted on October 28, 2009Miami Herald: "U.S. Justice Department officials estimate that as many as 200,000 children each year are trafficked within the United States as part of a vast sex industry. As many as 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States each year...
Arizona Supreme Court: State School Choice Program Is Constitutional
Posted on October 28, 2009"Arizona?s Corporate School Tuition Organization Tax Credit Program is constitutional, the Arizona Supreme Court indicated in a decision yesterday."
Vote No On 3: From The Ohio Roundtable
Posted on October 28, 2009Next Tuesday, November 3rd, the casino industry is planning on adding Ohio to its list of conquered states. They plan to open four casinos statewide and create a whole new generation of addicts.
Obama signs defense bill with hate crimes provision
Posted on October 28, 2009AP: "Trumpeting a victory against careless spending, President Barack Obama on Wednesday signed a defense bill that kills some costly weapons projects and expands war efforts. In a major civil rights change, the law also makes it a federal hate crime to assault people based on sexual orientation...
7th Cir. oral argument in Roman Catholic Foundation v. Walsh
Posted on October 28, 2009Yesterday's oral argument at the Seventh Circuit in the case of Roman Catholic Foundation v. Walsh can be found online here. ADF attorney Jordan Lorence argued on behalf of the Roman Catholic Foundation, a student organization at the University of Wisconsin, against the University?s policy of denying student fee funding for student-led worship, proselytizing and prayer...
?No men OR women needed: artificial sperm and eggs created for first time?
Posted on October 28, 2009"Eggs and sperm have been grown in the laboratory in a breakthrough process that could change the face of parenthood . . . "
Baltimore: City proposal targets pregnancy clinics that lack abortion services
Posted on October 28, 2009Baltimore Sun: "Advocates on both sides of the abortion debate filled Baltimore City Council chambers for a contentious hearing on legislation that would require pregnancy counseling clinics that do not provide abortion services to post signs indicating that policy...
Mike Johnson on the Vicki McKenna Show: Milwaukee harassment of pro-life advocates
Posted on October 28, 2009ADF attorney Mike Johnson appeared on the Vicki McKenna Show to discuss this: ADF sues Milwaukee to halt harassment of pro-life advocates. The MP3 runs just over 11 minutes. Mike had a second appearance with Vicki on a different station to discuss the same topic...
What crisis? China?s billionaires live it up
Posted on October 28, 2009Breitbart (AFP): "The Shanghai-based Hurun Report earlier this month published a list of the country's 1,000 richest people -- many of whom made their fortunes in real estate and the stock market, and 130 of whom are dollar-billionaires. The collective net worth of the 1,000 totalled 571 billion dollars by September 15 of this year -- more than the entire gross domestic product of Indonesia or Belgium...
First day of abortion case in Belfast high court
Posted on October 28, 2009SPUC Press Release: The Belfast high court has concluded the first day's hearing in the judicial review of government abortion guidance, brought by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC).
Christians most numerous victims of religious freedom violations, archbishop tells U.N.
Posted on October 28, 2009CNA: "Christians suffer the greatest number of violations of religious freedom, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the apostolic nuncio who leads the Holy See?s Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations, told the U.N. General Assembly last Wednesday...
Heated battle in Maine?s marriage vote
Posted on October 28, 2009"The next bellwether battle over same-sex marriage will be settled in Maine Tuesday by an expected 500,000 voters, about as many as cast ballots last year in Sacramento County when the nation's most-populous state, California, repealed same-sex marriage...
NH lawmakers reject judicial power bills in divorce cases
Posted on October 28, 2009Boston Globe: "New Hampshire lawmakers have killed bills meant to speed up the legal process for divorcing couples and to ease the backlog of jury trials by letting retired judges hear them."
Al Mohler: The Divorce Divide ? A National Embarrassment
Posted on October 28, 2009"Once impermanence became a mark of marriage in the law and in the culture, couples were required to muster a special level of marital commitment to remain married. Right before the nation's eyes, divorce redefined marriage."
Administration is silencing voices for school choice
Posted on October 28, 2009Weekly Standard: "President Obama isn't taking kindly to a television ad that criticizes his opposition to a popular scholarship program for poor children, and his administration wants the ad pulled. Former D.C. Councilmember Kevin Chavous of D.C. Children First said October 16 that U...
?67 Year-Old Grandma Interrogated and Threatened by Police over Gay Pride Complaint?
Posted on October 28, 2009"Mrs. Pauline Howe was told by two police officers who visited her home that she may have committed a 'hate incident' simply for having written a letter to her local council complaining about the local Gay Pride parade."
German Court fines British Bishop for holocaust denial on Swedish TV
Posted on October 28, 2009Google News (AP): "An ultraconservative British bishop was fined $16,822 (euro12,000) in Germany for denying the Holocaust in an interview with Swedish television, his lawyer said Tuesday."
Colombian high court rules Catholic hospitals must provide abortions
Posted on October 28, 2009"The court also ruled that Catholic schools must educate students about their 'abortion rights'-- a ruling that Catholic officials vowed to disobey."
Methodists rebuke Soros on ?hate speech? petition
Posted on October 28, 2009The American Spectator: "The petition was sent out by the left-wing So We Might See interfaith group . . . Now comes word that, as with the Catholic Bishops, the Methodists are saying they too never signed on to the FCC petition. Startlingly, the Methodists deny that they even signed up for the Coalition...
ADF: New ?hate crimes? law drives another nail into First Amendment?s coffin
Posted on October 28, 2009"The new 'hate crimes' bill expected to be signed into law by President Obama Wednesday is another nail in the coffin for the First Amendment, according to attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund."
License Revocation Over Doctor?s Affair With His Patient Is Upheld
Posted on October 27, 2009NY Journal: "A doctor's constitutional right to courtship and marriage was not violated by New York state regulators who, in revoking his license, faulted his consensual sexual relationship with a patient who later became his fiance, an appeals court has ruled...
Both Sides Appeal Suit Against History Teacher For Anti-Religious Remarks
Posted on October 27, 2009Religion Clause Blog: "Both sides have filed appeals with the 9th Circuit in C.F. v. Capistrano Unified School District, the case in which California high school student Chad Farnan and his parents sued history teacher James Corbett for making remarks hostile to religion...
Sen. Arlen Specter: Time to Repeal DOMA and DADT
Posted on October 27, 2009"The time has come to repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Enacted 13 years ago when the idea of same sex marriage was struggling for acceptance, the Act is a relic of a more tradition-bound time and culture."
Dismal special election record could hamper Republicans? 2010 comeback
Posted on October 27, 2009The Hill: "The GOP could lose its fifth of five big special elections in two years ? a development that has Republicans asking why the irregular races continue to bedevil their party, even as it rebounds in other ways. Some say Republicans haven?t learned from their losses in three conservative districts last year, nor from an upstate New York special election in March...
David French: A big day for free speech and legal equality on campus
Posted on October 27, 2009David French, Director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, writing at Phi Beta Cons: "As I type this post, my colleagues at the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom are arguing a critical case before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago...
Church of Scientology convicted of fraud in France
Posted on October 27, 2009AP: "A Paris court on Tuesday convicted the Church of Scientology of fraud and fined it more than half a million euros - but stopped short of banning the group as requested by prosecutors."
?Net neutrality? now on FCC?s plate
Posted on October 27, 2009One News Now: "In an alleged attempt to protect free speech on the Internet and prevent Internet service providers (ISPs) from implementing a tier system for broadband use, the FCC has decided to craft rules and regulations to guide ISPs. Once the rules are crafted, they will be posted for public comment and a final decision will not be handed down until early next year...
Family Diversity and Political Freedom
Posted on October 27, 2009The Ruth Institute Blog carries this speech by Pat Fagan of the Family Research Council at the World Congress of Families. It begins: "SUMMARY The 'monogamous' and the 'polyamorous' cultures have totally different approaches to life, with religious worship and monogamous marriage being the defining differences in their different approaches to the sexual act...
Tenn. Appeals Court rules for Bible Park rezoning
Posted on October 27, 2009AP: "The Tennessee Court of Appeals at Nashville has ruled in favor of a rezoning that would allow a Bible-based theme park to be built in Rutherford County."
Thomas Sowell: Dismantling America
Posted on October 27, 2009RealClearPolitics:"Barack Obama has not only said that he is out to 'change the United States of America,' the people he has been associated with for years have expressed in words and deeds their hostility to the values, the principles and the people of this country...
Arizona AG looks at private school scholarship groups
Posted on October 27, 2009East Valley Tribune: "The Arizona attorney general has sent letters to 19 of the state?s nonprofit school tuition organizations asking them to explain why they didn?t spend 90 percent of donations on scholarships for private school students as required by law...
Obama to sign ?hate crimes? bill Wednesday
Posted on October 27, 2009ABC News: "Eleven years after Matthew Shepard?s death, President Obama will sign the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes bill into law during a White House signing ceremony Wednesday afternoon, White House officials confirm."
Colombia?s AG asks court to overturn decision requiring schools to teach abortion is a ?right?
Posted on October 27, 2009Catholic News Agency: "Colombia?s Attorney General, Alejandro Ordonez Maldonado, announced that he would be asking the country?s Constitutional Court to overturn a ruling that would force schools to teach students that abortion is a right."
DC Council hears from public about same-sex ?marriage? bill
Posted on October 27, 2009ABC 7: "A D.C. City Council committee held its first hearing Monday on a bill that would allow same-sex marriage in the city, a hearing with a marathon list of witnesses and strong emotions on both sides of the issue."
?D.C. rally calls for citywide vote on ?gay marriage??
Posted on October 27, 2009Baptist Press: "Citizens of America's capital rallied Sunday in an effort to persuade the District of Columbia government to permit them to vote on the legalization 'of same-sex marriage.'"
Germany constitutional court rules same-sex partners have pension rights
Posted on October 27, 2009Jurist: "Germany's constitutional court on Thursday ruled [press release] that surviving partners in a registered civil partnership have a right to collect under the occupational pension scheme for civil service employees."
Religious differences are making custody disputes even messier
Posted on October 27, 2009Christianity Today: "In mid-July, New Hampshire judge Lucinda Sadler ordered 10-year-old Amanda Kurowski into public instruction . . . 'I think it's widely regarded as a dangerous precedent if it's allowed to stand,' said [Mike] Johnson, whose group represents Kurowski's mother...
Mass. man says Brazilian husband denied US asylum
Posted on October 27, 2009Associated Press: "A gay Brazilian man has been denied asylum by the Obama administration and won't be reunited with his Massachusetts husband in the U.S., the husband said Monday."
MS: AG?s office targets domestic violence, child pornography
Posted on October 27, 2009The Meridian Star: "Hood said pedophiles use file sharing programs like Limewire to download child pornography. But before anyone can download anything from a file sharing site, whether it's child pornography or something more innocent like music, they are prompted to agree to the file sharing site's terms and conditions...
Announcement of Calvin College board?s stand on homosexuality, same-sex marriage expected soon
Posted on October 27, 2009The Grand Rapids Press: "Calvin College professors will find out Monday whether the college?s governing board will withdraw a controversial memo ordering them to follow Christian Reformed Church teachings against homosexuality and same-sex marriage."
Money Talks to Have Before Marriage
Posted on October 27, 2009NY Times: "Divorce tends to be emotionally gut-wrenching for the people who go through it (not to mention those around them). But most couples don?t realize that divorce can also be among the most ruinous financial moves anyone can make."
Czech court delays verdict on Lisbon Treaty
Posted on October 27, 2009Google News (AP): "The Czech Republic's top court on Tuesday adjourned until November 3 its hearing on a challenge to the Lisbon Treaty by Eurosceptic senators."
Princeton: ?LGBT students praise gender-neutral housing program?
Posted on October 27, 2009The Daily Princetonian: "For the 2010-11 academic year, the University will be offering a gender-neutral housing option in Spelman Halls. The pilot program will permit gender-neutral occupancy in the apartment-style rooms of Spelman, eliminating the requirement that draw groups for Spelman must have four students of the same gender...
Survey says: Women lag far behind as rainmakers
Posted on October 27, 2009National Law Journal: "In its fourth annual report on how women are faring in the profession, the National Association of Women Lawyers has, for the first time, zeroed in on women as rainmakers. The conclusion: Women are 'surprisingly weak' in bringing in new business...
ADF sues Milwaukee to halt harassment of pro-life advocates
Posted on October 27, 2009Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed a lawsuit Monday against the city of Milwaukee on behalf of several pro-life advocates to end a long pattern of harassment.
?Dallas executive amassing a gay media mini-empire?
Posted on October 27, 2009Dallas Morning News: "Dallas movie executive Stephen Jarchow has made thousands of deals in his 17-year entertainment career, but none with more potential punch than his recent acquisition of a URL. The 58-year-old chairman of Here Media Inc. bought gay...
Philippines: Davao Norte capitol recognizes ?gay rights?
Posted on October 27, 2009Philippine Information Agency: "The homosexual community received a boost with the organization of the Davao del Norte Gay and Lesbian Federation during a one-day gender and development (GAD) orientation program for gays sponsored by the Provincial Government...
Panel urges ending UCMJ?s sodomy ban
Posted on October 27, 2009Stars & Stripes: "A panel of legal scholars has suggested that Congress remove sodomy as a crime punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, a recommendation that could boost efforts to end a ban on gays serving openly in the U.S. military...
Arizona may end takeover of polygamist area school district
Posted on October 27, 2009Deseret News: "A school district serving a remote area of northern Arizona and southern Utah long dominated by a polygamist sect is poised to emerge from a state takeover implemented nearly four years ago because it finances were in disarray."
Activists press for homosexual ?rights? to be included in immigration reform
Posted on October 27, 2009CNSNews: "Two amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act introduced in the House of Representatives? current session would add language allowing ?permanent partners? to sponsor their foreign-born "spouses" to become naturalized citizens."
Nevada: Parents attempt to stop two ?gay-themed? plays at school
Posted on October 27, 2009Courthouse News Service: "A group of parents seek to stop a high school in the Las Vegas suburb or Henderson from mounting two plays, 'Rent' and 'The Laramie Project,' because the productions about gay characters are 'not suitable for students.'"
TX: Jury selection begins in first polygamist trial
Posted on October 27, 2009Associated Press: "More than 150 potential jurors, including 10 women in prairie dresses and braids, crammed into a makeshift courtroom Monday as jury selection began in the first criminal trial stemming from the raid of a polygamist sect's ranch last year...
MI: Corunna School Board removes display on homosexuality
Posted on October 27, 2009Argus-Press: "The Corunna Board of Education voted Monday to remove a club project in a display case at Corunna High School that highlighted the acceptance of homosexuality and alternative lifestyles."
Victim of state law says federal ?hate crimes? law the ?most dangerous piece of legislation?
Posted on October 27, 2009WorldNetDaily: "A Christian minister who has spent time in jail . . . is warning that the federal legislation . . . is 'one of the most dangerous pieces of federal legislation in the history of our nation' . . . Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, told WND the move is alarming because 'this would be the very first governmental and societal disapproval of a sincerely held religious belief, held by a majority of Americans, namely that homosexual behavior is immoral...
WA: Man gets 18 months for urging immigrants to claim homosexuality in asylum petitions
Posted on October 27, 2009Associated Press: "A man accused of advising straight immigrants to claim homosexuality ? and potential persecution in their home countries ? when they applied for asylum has been sentenced to 18 months in prison."
7th Circuit upholds denial of preliminary injunction in Illinois church?s RLUIPA zoning challenge
Posted on October 27, 2009The opinion in River of Life Kingdom Ministries v. Village of Hazel Crest, No. 08-2819 (7th Cir., Oct. 27, 2009) begins: Before CUDAHY, MANION, and WILLIAMS, Circuit Judges. WILLIAMS, Circuit Judge. River of Life Kingdom Ministries (?the Church?) attempted to relocate its congregation from a crowded warehouse in Chicago Heights to its very own property?a dated fixer-upper in a blighted community in the Village of Hazel Crest...
Google CEO: Internet to be dominated by Chinese language in 5 years
Posted on October 27, 2009ReadWriteWeb: "Google CEO Eric Schmidt envisions a radically changed internet five years from now: dominated by Chinese-language and social media content, delivered over super-fast bandwidth in real time."
Judge dismisses lawsuit challenging stem cell rule
Posted on October 27, 2009Boston Globe: "Nightlight Christian Adoptions contended in a lawsuit that the government's new guidelines will decrease the number of human embryos available for adoption. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth called that assertion speculative . . . For Nightlight to have grounds to sue, Lamberth ruled, potential embryo donors have to choose to donate their embryos for research and not for adoption...
Same-sex ?marriage? debate distracts government from ?real social problems,? Mexican lawyers say
Posted on October 27, 2009CNA: The president of the College of Catholic Lawyers of Mexico, Armando Martinez, expressed regret this week that the Mexico City Legislative Assembly is not concerned with 'real social problems' and is instead dedicated to promoting gay 'marriage' through a reform of the Civil Code...
David Cortman on the Michael Medved Show: Expression of faith in public schools
Posted on October 27, 2009ADF attorney David Cortman appeared on the Michael Medved Show last week to discuss indoctrination in the public schools. The MP3 runs just under 35 minutes. Related ADF Press Release: ADF attorney available to media after trial in Tenn. suit over Bible reading at recess
Historical Documents Display in Madison County, Georgia
Posted on October 27, 2009Christian Newswire: "We are excited to announce that a set of the 'Foundations of American Law & Government Display' has been accepted by the Madison County Commissioners to be hung in the Madison County Government Complex."
11th Cir. appeals panel dismisses Fla. Christian frat case
Posted on October 27, 2009"A federal court has dismissed an appeal by a Christian fraternity that tried to force the University of Florida to recognize it as an official organization."
ERLC?s Land Submits Testimony Against D.C. Same-Sex Marriage Bill
Posted on October 27, 2009Ethic and Religious Liberty Commission: "ERLC President Richard Land submitted testimony Oct. 26 for hearings by the D.C. City Council and the D.C. Board of Elections & Ethics, expressing opposition to the same-sex marriage bill and asking that District residents be given the opportunity to vote on marriage...
Scalia: Some on court inventing rights
Posted on October 27, 2009"'Right to abortion?'' he asked. 'Come on. Nobody thought it violated anything in the Constitution for 200 years. It was criminal.' The same, said Scalia, is true of homosexual sodomy."
?More immigrants cite sexual orientation for asylum?
Posted on October 27, 2009Boston Globe: "Since 1994, sexual orientation has been grounds for asylum in the United States. That's when former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno ruled in a case that persecution based on sexual orientation could be potential grounds for asylum."
Aborted Fetal Material Used in Anti-Wrinkle Creams
Posted on October 27, 2009Christian Newswire: "Children of God for Life announced today that Neocutis, a bio-pharmaceutical company focused on dermatology and skin care is using aborted fetal cell lines to produce several of their anti-aging skin creams."
NYT: ?Does Policy Trail Public Opinion on Gay Rights??
Posted on October 27, 2009Catherine Rampell writes at the NY Times (Statistical charts included): "But in many states, and on many other gay rights issues, the lag seems to go in the opposite direction: legal and policy responses (whether from the legislative or judicial branch) lag behind much more liberal popular opinion...
Maine gov urges residents to support redefinition of marriage
Posted on October 27, 2009"Maine Gov. John Baldacci (bahl-DAH'-chee) is urging residents to vote against repealing the state's same-sex marriage law while acknowledging his past opposition to gay marriage."
Showdown: Democrat Rep. Stupak Locked in Dead Heat with House Leadership over Pro-Life Health Amendment
Posted on October 27, 2009LifeSiteNews: "As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi aims to seal the abortion-expanding health care bill in an early November vote, pro-life lawmakers, led by Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan, are locked in a dead heat race for votes with Democratic leadership...
Media Spins ?Pentagon? Support for ?Gays? in the Military
Posted on October 27, 2009"Essay contest winner Om Prakash is entitled to his opinions, but his JFQ article showed little evidence of serious research beyond the usual polemics produced by the California-based Michael D. Palm Center and other homosexualist groups . . . "
?Discharging Gays from Military No Threat to National Security, Report Details?
Posted on October 27, 2009CNSNews: "Claims that the U.S. military?s policy of discharging openly homosexual soldiers threatens national security by reducing troop numbers are not supported by data from the Defense Department, according to the Center for Military Readiness (CMR)...
Settlement reached in St. Louis leafleting lawsuit
Posted on October 23, 2009Associated Press: "Lawyer Rick Nelson, who works with a group of Christian attorneys known as the Alliance Defense Fund, said the ministry was able to express its views and leaflet at the park this year after a judge ordered it should be allowed."
St. Louis agrees to allow religious speech
Posted on October 23, 2009CitizenLink: "'Christian groups shouldn't be penalized for expressing their beliefs,' said ADF-allied attorney Rick Nelson. 'Being threatened with arrest simply for expressing a religious viewpoint is something we'd expect in other nations, but not in the United States...
Marriage Vote in Maine Will Affect Schoolchildren
Posted on October 23, 2009Jenny Tyree writes at Citizen Link: "Changing the definition of marriage would render parents powerless to shield their children from being taught a gay-activist agenda in school."
FCC votes to begin crafting `net neutrality? rules
Posted on October 23, 2009AP: "Federal regulators took an important step Thursday toward prohibiting broadband providers from favoring or discriminating against certain kinds of Internet traffic."
Abortion Kills More Black Americans Than the Seven Leading Causes of Death Combined, Says CDC Data
Posted on October 23, 2009CNSNews: "Abortion killed at least 203,991 blacks in the 36 states and two cities (New York City and the District of Columbia) that reported abortions by race in 2005, according to the CDC. "
When Asked Where the Constitution Authorizes Congress to Order Americans To Buy Health Insurance, Pelosi Says: ?Are You Serious??
Posted on October 23, 2009CNSNews: "When CNSNews.com asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday where the Constitution authorized Congress to order Americans to buy health insurance--a mandate included in both the House and Senate versions of the health care bill--Pelosi dismissed the question by saying: 'Are you serious? Are you serious?'"
Abbey?s road: Fortelling the loss of religious freedom via healthcare?
Posted on October 23, 2009WORLD Magazine: "Gary McCaleb of the Alliance Defense Fund?an Arizona-based religious liberty law fund?says the Belmont Abbey case highlights the precarious relationship between religious freedom and perceived discrimination. McCaleb says the notion that religious liberty must yield to secular nondiscrimination interests is 'a terrifying thought because religious liberty is the cornerstone of our country...
ADF attorney available to media after hearings over D.C. Marriage Initiative, Marriage Equality Act
Posted on October 23, 2009The ballot initiative seeks to give voters the right to decide whether marriage in D.C. should continue to be defined as the union of one man and one woman, whereas the marriage act seeks to amend the law to permit same-sex ?marriage.?
Sharia Banking Comes to Germany
Posted on October 23, 2009Spiegel: "Germany's Muslims are finally getting a bank offering financial products that comply with Sharia law. It is a market worth billions, and one that many major banks around the world have long discovered."
Corvino: The homosexual agenda in public schools, Maine ads are right
Posted on October 23, 2009John Corvino writes at 365Gay.com: "Rather, we?re trying to do just what those scary 'protect marriage' ads say we?re trying to do. We?re trying to teach them about same-sex marriage. In school."
McCain Moves to Block FCC Net Neutrality
Posted on October 23, 2009PC World: "The FCC voted unanimously yesterday to move forward with the debate in an effort to formalize net neutrality guidelines. Senator John McCain followed up by introducing a bill that would prohibit the FCC from governing communications."
NY Gov. expects bill to redefine marriage to pass in coming weeks
Posted on October 23, 2009"Paterson said he expects the state Senate to give the measure final legislative approval in weeks ahead and then he will sign it, making New York the seventh state to legalize same-sex marriage."
Abortion divides House Dems in health care debate
Posted on October 23, 2009AP: "House Democrats are at an impasse over whether their remake of the nation's health care system would effectively allow federal funding of abortion."
Utah gov: ?Parent-approved sex education classes OK?
Posted on October 23, 2009Associated Press: "Utah Gov. Gary Herbert says he doesn't oppose multi-track sex education classes in state schools as long as students have parental permission to hear the information."
Congressman Says He Now Has ?About 40 Likeminded Democrats? Who Will Vote to Kill Health Bill if He Doesn?t Get Floor Vote on Pro-Life Amendment
Posted on October 23, 2009CNSNews: Rep. Bart Stupak (D.-Mich.) told CNSNews.com yesterday that he has organized a group of ?about 40 likeminded Democrats? who will vote to kill the health-care bill if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) does not allow a floor vote on his amendment to prohibit federal funds from going to insurance plans that cover abortion.
UC Hastings Law School to $50K (Non-Resident Tuition)
Posted on October 23, 2009Above the Law: "Yesterday, UC Hastings College of Law told its students about next year?s prospective tuition. Due to the graphic nature of the content below, viewer discretion is advised. Please remember that Hastings is a public law school: . . . "
Judge suspends ban on exit polling near NJ polls
Posted on October 23, 2009AP: "Exit pollsters and journalists can continue to approach voters near polling sites in New Jersey after a federal judge on Friday suspended a state court ruling to ban the practice within 100 feet of voting sites."
?Gay hate-crimes bill could punish Christians, foes say?
Posted on October 23, 2009Baptist Press: "Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, told Christianity Today the language to protect freedom of speech and religion was insufficient. 'While the wordings are nice, the amendments are really meaningless,' Stanley said...
RI Catholic Bishop responds: Rep. Kennedy continues to be a disappointment
Posted on October 23, 2009Boston Globe: "Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin said Friday that Kennedy, a Roman Catholic, continues to be a "disappointment" and doesn't understand the church's position." Related: Patrick Kennedy: Catholic Church Fanning ?Flames of Dissent and Discord? by Opposing Health Bill Over Abortion Funding
Michigan governor calls for more revenue for schools
Posted on October 23, 2009Reuters: "Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm warned on Friday that schools will face teacher layoffs and bigger class sizes if new revenue is not found for education."
Texas Constitutional Confusion: Setting the Record Straight
Posted on October 23, 2009Free Market Foundation, Texas Legislative Blog: "As many of you know, there are 11 Texas Constitutional Amendments on the ballot. Early voting continues until October 30th with the general election day on Nov. 3rd. Click here for a link to our Voter Guide...
Rasmussen: 73 percent say GOP leaders have lost touch with Republican base
Posted on October 23, 2009Hot Air Blog: "I know what the first 50 comments below are going to say if I don?t say it here first, so here you go: Only 73 percent?"
2 new sex shops in Scottsdale are worrying some
Posted on October 23, 2009AZ Republic: "Activist Lisa Haskell told the Scottsdale City Council earlier this week that the area is attracting check-cashing stores, pawnshops and now Fascinations, northwest of Scottsdale Road and Oak Street. 'We don't want the area to become a dumping ground for adult-type businesses,' Haskell told the council...
German High Court orders pension benefits for civil union partners
Posted on October 23, 2009DW-World.de: "In a victory for those fighting for same-sex partnerships to receive the same recognition as marriages, Germany's highest court has given registered partners of civil servants the right to a widow or widower's pension."
Russia champions ?traditional values?
Posted on October 23, 2009"Why, though, would gay rights -- which is the only remaining gender issue for Russia -- trouble a nation that has used abortion as its main method of birth control for decades and seems to have largely forgotten the Ten Commandments?"
AP: ?Strict Oklahoma abortion laws spark court battles?
Posted on October 23, 2009Boston Globe: "Two new laws being challenged in the Oklahoma courts would give the state some of the strictest abortion laws in the country by forcing women to answer questions about race and their relationships, and to listen to a doctor talk them through an ultrasound...
For Some Parents, Shouting Is the New Spanking
Posted on October 23, 2009NY Times: "But, incongruously and with regularity, this is a generation that yells. 'I?ve worked with thousands of parents and I can tell you, without question, that screaming is the new spanking,' said Amy McCready, the founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, which teaches parenting skills in classes, individual coaching sessions and an online course...
UK: ?Modern girls put children before marriage?
Posted on October 23, 2009Telegraph: "Less than half of teenage girls believe marriage should come before children and most think gay couples make good parents, according to a Girlguiding UK study."
?When Parents Are Too Toxic to Tolerate?
Posted on October 23, 2009Richard A. Friedmen writes at the NY Times: "It is no stretch, then, to say that having a toxic parent may be harmful to a child?s brain, let alone his feelings. But that damage need not be written in stone. Of course, we cannot undo history with therapy...
Australia: ?Gay men seek access to friend?s daughter through Family Court?
Posted on October 23, 2009Australian: "A HOMOSEXUAL couple has been granted leave to appear before the Family Court in a bid to gain access to a girl who isn't biologically related to either of them. The men, who cannot be named, have successfully argued that they are important people in the life of the three-year-old...
?Religious liberty and gay marriage: Is Oaks right? Yes and no?
Posted on October 23, 2009Salt Lake Tribune: "Meanwhile, many conservative religious groups are lining up either to oppose gay marriage or to ask for religious exemptions. 'There is a battle over the meaning of [religious] freedom,' LDS apostle Dallin H. Oaks said in a strongly worded address last week to students at Brigham Young University-Idaho...
?Gay Marriage 101?
Posted on October 23, 2009The New Republic: "'It's simple: Any area that the state defines as a civil right, if it's brought up in schools, why would you not talk about it?'" Brown asked . . . 'I don't think that parents want their kids as young as kindergarten being taught about same-sex marriage, period, whether the teacher thinks it's appropriate or not,' Brown said...
?Come Let Us Harass Them: Gay marriage proponents want to intimidate their critics?
Posted on October 23, 2009John Fund writes at the Wall Street Journal: "Americans claim to favor open and honest debate in the democratic process, but when it comes to gay marriage it appears some proponents would rather intimidate their critics. In Washington State, gay rights groups have demanded public release of the names of 138,000 people who signed a petition to put forward a November ballot measure to protect traditional marriage...
LAPD to cut ties with group linked to Boy Scouts
Posted on October 23, 2009"The Los Angeles Police Department wants to stop working with the organization that runs its Explorer program for youths because the group is linked to Boy Scouts of America, which bans gays from becoming members."
Suit Says U.S. Attorney?s Office a ?Girls Club?
Posted on October 23, 2009Legal Blog Watch: "The U.S. attorney's office in Puerto Rico was a 'girls club' in which male attorneys were the victims of discrimination and a hostile work environment. That, at least, is the allegation of Juan E. Milanes, a former assistant U.S. attorney there...
Houston woman files suit to stop council prayers
Posted on October 23, 2009ABClocal.go.com: "A local woman has announced details of her federal lawsuit against the city of Houston. She says the city is violating the Constitution by allowing prayers at public council meetings."
Kentucky Supreme Court Hears Online Gambling Case
Posted on October 23, 2009WebPrNews: "The Kentucky Supreme Court heard arguments on Thursday on whether the Common Wealth of Kentucky has the power to seize 141 domains belonging to online gambling sites."
42 arrested in China baby trafficking case
Posted on October 23, 2009Boston Globe: "Chinese police have arrested 42 alleged members of a trafficking ring that sold dozens of infants stolen or bought from their rural parents, state media reported Friday."
Obama?s ?Safe Schools Czar? Funds Pornographic Display at Harvard
Posted on October 23, 2009LifeSiteNews: "Obama's controversial and embattled "safe schools czar," Kevin Jennings, has helped fund a pornographic, anti-Catholic and sado-masochistic art display currently being shown at Harvard University, reports massresistance.org."
Homosexual conduct in the military: ?Lifting the Ban Would Do a Rank Disservice?
Posted on October 23, 2009Robert Knight writes at Townhall: "In addressing the current effort to lift the ban [on homosexual conduct] , Congress needs to weigh the overall effect this could have on servicemen and women. A Military Officers Association of America survey ignored by the media shows 68 percent of respondents, including current and former service personnel, support either the current policy or a stronger one...
Maltese MEPs vote against coercive abortion
Posted on October 23, 2009Times of Malta: "All five Maltese MEPs have voted in favour of an amendment to the 2010 draft EU budget which called for the banning of overseas development funds to countries or organisations supporting human rights abuses such as coercive abortion."
Los Angeles Episcopal Bishop Offers Apology to Hindus over Conversion Attempts
Posted on October 23, 2009Virtue Online: "The ultra liberal Episcopal Bishop of Los Angeles J. Jon Bruno offered a formal apology to Hindus for centuries-old acts of religious discrimination including attempts by Christians to convert them. He then authorized a joint Hindu-Anglican service at St John's Cathedral in Los Angeles permitting Hindu devotees to receive the consecrated elements...
Majority of Peruvians Oppose Attempt to Depenalize Abortion in Rape and Deformity Cases: Poll
Posted on October 23, 2009LifeSiteNews: "At the same time as the Peruvian Congress considers depenalizing abortion in rape and fetal deformity cases, a new poll indicates that a majority of the Peruvian people oppose the measure."
Specter: Dems have 60 cloture votes for public option
Posted on October 23, 2009The Hill: "Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) on Thursday said that Democrats have 60 votes for cloture on a healthcare bill with a national public health insurance option."
What is the White House?s Fox News End Game?
Posted on October 23, 2009". . . yesterday, the White House decided to try and ban Fox News from a briefing with Obama?s Pay Czar Kenneth Feinberg."
Nun Volunteering as Abortion Clinic Escort in Illinois
Posted on October 23, 2009LifeSiteNews: "A Dominican nun has been seen frequenting an abortion facility in Illinois recently - but not, as one might expect, to pray for an end to abortion or to counsel women seeking abortions, but to volunteer as a clinic escort."
European Parliament Opposes Pro-Life Amdts to Stop Forced Abortion Funding
Posted on October 23, 2009LifeNews: "Members of the European Parliament voted against amendments to the budget to revoke funding from groups that promote coercive abortions or involuntary sterilizations as part of their family planning programs in other nations."
?Russian lesbians travel to Toronto to wed?
Posted on October 23, 2009UPI: "Two lesbians denied the right to marry in their native Russia were set to circumvent national laws Friday by getting married in Toronto."
?Calif. court allows state to ban nude sunbathing?
Posted on October 22, 2009AP: "The California Supreme Court on Thursday denied review of a 2008 lower court ruling upholding the right to cite nude beachgoers in Orange County."
?Gay, transgender persons could be in future census?
Posted on October 22, 2009AP: "The U.S. Census Bureau is making an unprecedented effort to include same-sex couples in next year's national population count, but counting the number of individuals who identify as gay, lesbian or transgender could be next."
Nevada Launches Personhood Initiative
Posted on October 22, 2009LifeSiteNews: The proposed amendment would change the Nevada constitution to read: "In the great state of Nevada, the term 'person' applies to every human being. Article I Section 8 of the Nevada constitution states, 'No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law...
Washington Family PAC Files Suit to Allow it to Accept Contributions Exceeding $5,000 to Fight R-71 and Shield Small Donors
Posted on October 22, 2009The Family PAC has donors willing to contribute more than $5,000 to its effort, but is unable to accept the contributions because of the Washington law.
Illinois: Sectarian prayers have no place at public meetings
Posted on October 22, 2009MySuburbanLife.com: "Wheaton has such religious fervor that City Council meetings often are begun with prayers. Ministers serving local congregations offer an invocation before the regular civic proceedings get under way. This practice has caught the attention of a Wisconsin-based group called the Freedom From Religion Foundation...
Patrick Kennedy: Catholic Church Fanning ?Flames of Dissent and Discord? by Opposing Health Bill Over Abortion Funding
Posted on October 22, 2009CNSNews: "Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I) told CNSNews.com that the Catholic Church is doing nothing but fanning 'the flames of dissent and discord' by taking the position that it will oppose the health-care reform bill under consideration in Congress unless it is amended to explicitly prohibit funding of abortion...
Congress Approves Broadened Hate-Crime Measure
Posted on October 22, 2009"The 68 -29 vote sends the measure to President Obama, who has said he supports it."
9th Circuit release opinion explaining Wash. ruling to release Referendum 71 names
Posted on October 22, 2009Click here for the ruling: Doe v. Reed, No. 09-35818 (9th Cir. Oct. 22, 2009). The ruling has been stayed pending action by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Doug Napier on Reality Check: The Mojave Cross Case
Posted on October 22, 2009ADF attorney Douglas Napier appeared on Reality Check to discuss the pending case at the U.S. Supreme Court that challenges a memorial cross in the Mojave Desert. The MP3 runs just over 8 minutes. Liberty Legal Institute and ADF Veteran's Memorial Project
Canada province to take polgamy law to court
Posted on October 22, 2009"British Columbia's Supreme Court is being asked to decide if polygamy should remain illegal in Canada, the province's attorney general announced Thursday."
Audio of ASU Students for Life v. Crow arguments at 9th Circuit
Posted on October 22, 2009Academic Freedom File: "The audio recording of Tuesday?s oral arguments in ASU Students for Life v. Crow can be found here. ADF Center for Academic Freedom attorney Heather Gebelin Hacker argued on behalf of ASU Students for Life. A decision is expected in several months...
FL: Hillsborough County might revisit ?gay discrimination? issue
Posted on October 22, 2009The Tampa Tribune: "Kevin Beckner asked today for a review of county policies prohibiting harassment. The policies include women and blacks, but not sexual orientation, as 'protected categories.' He said he will push to spell out the types of harassment that should be prohibited under a new board policy...
Federal housing regs to add protections for ?gays?
Posted on October 22, 2009" . . . the regulations . . . would clarify that the term 'family' also applies to lesbian and gay couples."
Church of Sweden to wed same-sex couples
Posted on October 22, 2009FOX News: "The Church of Sweden has decided to allow its priests to wed same-sex couples in new gender-neutral church ceremonies. Thursday's decision was favored in a 176-62 church board vote. Eleven members abstained and two were absent."
Advocates say ?ex-gay? books are being banned in public schools
Posted on October 22, 2009FOX News: "Visit most public school libraries and you'll find an array of books that address the subject of homosexuality. Many include sexually explicit content, and some even include graphic images. But if you're looking for a book that refers to the possibility that homosexuality can be "reversed," a Chicago-based group says your best bet is the banned books list...
PA: Pro-life advocates promote life with license plates
Posted on October 22, 2009Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Mary Wurtz expected a fight when she set out to spread her anti-abortion message on the state's license plates. But the roadblocks her counterparts encountered in New York, New Jersey and Illinois never materialized in Pennsylvania, said Wurtz, 42, who runs the nonprofit PA Choose Life from her suburban Philadelphia home...
Illinois: Aurora Planned Parenthood parking to get full council vote
Posted on October 22, 2009The Beacon-News: "On Wednesday, Alderman Rick Lawrence, 4th Ward, appealed the Planning and Development Committee's decision to approve 11 new parking spots for Planned Parenthood's East New York Street clinic. The company had asked for 27 spaces it said is needed for security...
Facing protests, Harvard group cancels forum on immigration
Posted on October 22, 2009Brown Daily Herald: "Facing campus protests, a Harvard student group has rescinded an invitation to controversial anti-immigration activist Jim Gilchrist to speak at a forum this weekend. The group, the Undergraduate Legal Committee, released a statement calling Gilchrist?s appearance 'not compatible with providing an environment for civil, educational and productive discourse on immigration...
Child pornography and mandatory-minimum sentences
Posted on October 22, 2009Andy McCarthy writing at The Corner, National Review Online: "I would not have the slightest problem imposing capital punishment on the people who actually produce and 'perform' in these depictions in which young children are sexually abused. But 10 or 15 years in jail ? much more than most hardened criminals get for most crimes ? for a young first-offender who trades child-porn images but has no involvement whatsoever in their production is ridiculous...
Judge Dismisses Dart?s Craigslist Lawsuit
Posted on October 22, 2009NBCChicago.com: "Cook County?s resident tough guy cop has been on a crusade to shut down the Craigslist sex trade. His quest hit a major road-block this week after a federal judge dismissed his request to force the web site to eliminate its erotic services category...
?Rethinking Marriage. The World Has Changed. It?s Time!?
Posted on October 22, 2009Melissa Harris-Lacewell writes at AlterNet: "Our work must be not just about marriage equality, it should also be about equal marriages, and about equal rights and security for those who opt out of marriage altogether . . . We must do more than simply integrate new groups into an old system...
Google, Verizon team up to throw support behind FCC?s net neutrality push
Posted on October 22, 2009Verizon Policy Blog: "So, in conjunction with the Federal Communications Commission's national plan to bring broadband to all Americans, we understand its decision to start a debate about how best to protect and promote the openness of the Internet. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has promised a thoughtful, transparent decision-making process, and we look forward to taking part in the analysis and discussion that is to follow...
Michigan ministers to protest new strip club
Posted on October 22, 2009Detroit Free Press: "A group of ministers are planning a peaceful protest in a church across from the soon-to-be-opened Larry Flynt?s Hustler Club in Lincoln Park."
TX: San Antonio neighborhood association fighting to keep strip club out
Posted on October 22, 2009WOAI: "A West Side neighborhood is fighting back. A new gentlemen's club is set to open up off Old Highway 90 and residents want to know why they were never told about it."
Utah lawmakers debate ?sex ed?
Posted on October 22, 2009Salt Lake Tribune: "Lawmakers spent two hours debating sex education in schools Wednesday despite the fact that they didn't have a new bill to debate. They then ended their discussion by passing an oddly-worded motion intended to urge lawmakers not to promote groups that encourage 'high-risk sexual behavior' in schools, possibly including Planned Parenthood...
9th Circuit judge urges settlement in campus-speech case
Posted on October 22, 2009First Amendment Center: "'It sounds like you have achieved a victory,' Alex Kozinski, chief judge of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, told Heather Gebelin Hacker, an Alliance Defense Fund attorney representing the student group. But Hacker said during arguments Oct...
Canadian Court Dismisses Graduate Student?s Religious Discrimination Claim
Posted on October 22, 2009Religion Clause Blog: "In Maughan v. University of British Columbia, (BC Ct. App., Oct. 20, 2009), the British Columbia Court of Appeal agreed with the trial court that a graduate student at UBC had not shown that tensions between her and her English professor resulted from religious discrimination...
Pagans go mainstream: Wiccans and Druids and goddesses ? oh, my!
Posted on October 22, 2009Religion Link: "Halloween always brings out witches and warlocks (and ghosts and goblins) for a popular festival of fright. Yet today?s witches ? or Wiccans, as they are known ? and followers of a range of other neo-pagan traditions hardly seem so scary...
Baltimore City Council targets pro-life pregnancy centers
Posted on October 22, 2009The Catholic Review: "City Council Bill 09-0406, 'Limited-Service Pregnancy Centers ?Disclaimers,' would require pregnancy support centers to post a disclaimer noting that they do not provide abortion or contraceptive services. Centers that do not comply would be fined $500 per day...
UK: Council scraps Christian prayer tradition as it might offend other faiths
Posted on October 22, 2009Telegraph: "Since 1894, Winscombe and Sandford Parish Council in Somerset, has opened its monthly meetings with a short religious verse. But the practice has now been scrapped after a letter from one constituent labelled it 'inappropriate and unacceptable in a multi-ethnic society...
Lodi City Council adopts prayer policy
Posted on October 22, 2009Lodi News-Sentinel: "On Wednesday night, the council approved a new prayer policy with no discussion. The council decided to broaden its policy to allow religious leaders to offer uncensored prayers, which can include references to Jesus Christ. The policy also includes opening up the invocation or 'Call to Civic Responsibility' to all religious and secular groups...
MI: ACLU adds religious rights to legal fight in SOS move
Posted on October 22, 2009Oakland County Daily Tribune: "The American Civil Liberties Union says a Ferndale church has the right to rent space to a nonprofit group that helps homeless people find shelter, jobs and counseling. However, the ACLU's attempt to raise religious rights issues on behalf of First Baptist Church of Ferndale was met with resistance...
UK: Study finds religious students ?not catered to?
Posted on October 22, 2009UKPA: "State secondary schools can fail to cater to the needs of pupils from religious backgrounds, an Ofsted survey has suggested. Children who transfer from faith primary schools to secular secondaries can be forced to compromise parts of their everyday religious practices, according to the inspectorate's reports...
South Dakota Petition Drive Aims to Overturn Human Cloning Ban
Posted on October 22, 2009Citizen Link: "Former South Dakota Secretary of State David Volk wants to overturn a state law that bans the creation and destruction of human embryos for research."
Attorneys to ask high court to review Ariz. tuition tax credits
Posted on October 22, 2009Arizona Republic: "Attorneys will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review an Arizona program that diverts tax revenue into private-school tuition scholarships."
U. of Alabama considers providing ?domestic partner? benefits
Posted on October 21, 2009Tuscaloosa News: "The University of Alabama is considering providing health benefits to employees? domestic partners, although University of Alabama President Robert Witt said administrators want to be sure the program passes legal muster."
Human rights activists slam Vietnam over religious persecution
Posted on October 21, 2009Houston Chronicle: "Human rights activists are criticizing Vietnam for expelling followers of a renowned Buddhist monk from a monastery, calling it part of a pattern of religious persecution by the Communist government."
9th Circuit lets ruling on Ariz. tax credit stand, denies rehearing en banc
Posted on October 21, 2009"The full 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday declined to review a three-judge panel's unanimous April ruling that the program could be unconstitutional by favoring religion."
D.C. students criticize ?sex education? curriculum
Posted on October 21, 2009Washington Post: "D.C. public high school students who took part in focus groups on sexual health said they were unimpressed by the District's sex education curriculum, do not trust the school nurses who are obligated to counsel them about disease prevention and disdain the generic brand of condoms that are distributed in the schools...
Are Democrats and social conservatives finding common ground on immigration?
Posted on October 21, 2009U.S. News & World Report: "And yet, many prominent social conservatives say the administration can still find common ground with evangelicals and other conservative religious constituencies. Rather than revolving around abortion, however, the opportunity is on another thorny issue: immigration...
Okla. abortion publicity law blocked by court
Posted on October 21, 2009WeNews: "Enforcement of an Oklahoma law that will publicize an unprecedented amount of personal information about women who undergo abortions has been delayed by at least one month, to Dec. 4, as part of a legal challenge."
Malaysian court throws out Anwar ?gay? lawsuit
Posted on October 21, 2009AFP: "Malaysia's appeals court has struck out a bid by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to sue former premier Mahathir Mohamad for nearly 30 million dollars for calling him gay, lawyers said Wednesday."
David Cortman on the Jody Hice Show: ?Abortion is not Healthcare? T-shirt case
Posted on October 21, 2009ADF Attorney David Cortman appeared on the Jody Hice Show to discussion the "Abortion is not Healthcare" T-shirt case. The mp3 runs just over 17 minutes.
NY Gov: There?s room in special session for same-sex ?marriage? vote
Posted on October 21, 2009Politics on the Hudson: "Gov. David Paterson said there?s no reason why a number of non-budget issues shouldn?t be on the agenda for the upcoming legislative session, including a vote on legalizing gay marriage."
Panel told NH should expand gambling before MA
Posted on October 21, 2009Associated Press: "A commission studying gambling in New Hampshire is being told if it's going to expand gambling it should act before Massachusetts does."
City of St. Louis agrees to end unconstitutional literature distribution policy
Posted on October 21, 2009?We are pleased that the city of St. Louis now recognizes the First Amendment rights of ministries who wish to share their viewpoint on important social and moral issues at events taking place at public locations.?
KY: Two GOP senators to file for gambling amendments
Posted on October 21, 2009Lexington Herald-Leader: "One measure, backed by Republican Sen. Damon Thayer of Georgetown, would allow the public to decide whether video lottery terminals should be allowed at horse racetracks. Another, backed by Senate President David Williams, would ban such expansions of gambling without a constitutional amendment, which requires the public's approval...
Homosexual agenda finds its way into UN counterterrorism policy
Posted on October 21, 2009FOX News: "In case you weren't sure, human gender is 'changeable over time and contexts,' sex slaves must not be 'stigmatized' for their work, and it's important to recognize the role of 'transgender and intersex individuals as stakeholders' in counterterrorism policy...
$170 million in federal funding for stem cell research
Posted on October 21, 2009Harvard Science: "Eighteen research groups nationwide are receiving $170 million under the program, which is one of the largest single infusion ever of federal funding for stem cell research. Under the Bush administration federal funding for research involving embryonic stem cells was extremely restricted, and this program is the first major financial result of President Obama's lifting the Bush era restrictions...
Planned Parenthood teaches sex ed classes in Cleveland public schools
Posted on October 21, 2009CNSNews: "A sex ed administrator with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District says that half of the 'Responsible Sexual Behavior' classes for 9th and 10th grade students are taught by Planned Parenthood personnel."
Family advocate to testify before Congress on trafficking
Posted on October 21, 2009CitizenLink: "The House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight will hold a hearing Wednesday on violence against women. One of the topics will be sex trafficking. Linda Smith, founder of Shared Hope International, will testify...
Peruvian Congress continues forward with measure to legalize abortion
Posted on October 21, 2009Catholic News Agency: "A new bill that would legalize abortion in cases of rape and fetal deformation has moved through a Congressional committee in Peru and will be sent to the floor of the Peruvian Congress in the coming months, despite widespread opposition to the measure among voters...
Obama?s EEOC nominee argued ?gay sex is morally good?
Posted on October 21, 2009CNSNews: "Chai R. Feldblum, nominated by President Barack Obama to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), has argued that homosexual sex is ?morally good? and that government should foster all types of domestic partnerships, including 'non-sexual' ones...
David Cortman on WVNN with Dale Jackson: Day of Silent Solidarity
Posted on October 21, 2009ADF Attorney David Cortman appeared on WVNN with Dale Jackson to discuss the Day of Silent Solidarity. The mp3 is here and runs just over 14 minutes.
Maine: NPR demands that group stop using clip in marriage ads
Posted on October 21, 2009Associated Press: "National Public Radio is demanding that a political action committee stop using a radio clip as part of its efforts to repeal Maine's same-sex marriage law."
Alito troubled by concerns over court?s Catholics
Posted on October 21, 2009Associated Press: "U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito voiced frustration Tuesday over what he called persistent questions about the court's Roman Catholic majority."
UK: Another euthanasia amendment due in the House of Lords
Posted on October 21, 2009John Smeaton, SPUC Director: "The amendment is likely to be debated this Monday (26 October) during the bill's report stage . . . The amendment reads: '[N]o offence shall have been committed if assistance is given to a person to commit suicide who is suffering from a confirmed, incurable and disabling illness which prevents them from carrying through their own wish to bring their life to a close, if the person has received certification from a coroner who has investigated the circumstances, and satisfied himself that it is indeed the free and settled wish of the person that they bring their life to a close...
AZ: Sheriff Arpaio likely to appeal abortion ruling
Posted on October 21, 2009Washington Independent: "On Tuesday afternoon, Jack MacIntyre, a deputy chief with the sheriff?s office, told me the ruling was 'an instance of pretty rank judicial activism,' adding that 'it is very very likely we will appeal.'"
MO: Anti-cloning and personhood initiatives approved for circulation
Posted on October 21, 2009St. Louis Public Radio: "The Missouri Secretary of State's Office has approved for circulation two ballot initiatives backed by opponents of abortion and of a type of stem cell research some consider to be human cloning."
CT: Southington to wait and see about ?adult stores?
Posted on October 21, 2009Bristol Press: "After an hour of discussion, the planning and zoning commission decided by a 4 to 3 vote to not revoke Very Intimate Pleasure?s permit at Tuesday?s meeting. Instead they decided to take a 'wait and see' approach and determine whether the store conforms to zoning regulations when it applies for its certificate of occupancy...
PA: Middle-school student may wear pro-life t-shirt
Posted on October 21, 2009Lancaster Online: "A federal judge has ruled that a Lewisberry middle-schooler may wear a pro-life t-shirt carrying the message 'Abortion is not Healthcare' . . . The law center and the Alliance Defense Fund, a national network of Christian attorney, represented the Boyer family...
PA: Schools relent on T-shirt messages
Posted on October 21, 2009The Patriot-News: "'Public schools certainly need to be educated about the First Amendment,' said David Cortman, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund, who is representing Boyer. 'As the Supreme Court has held for years, students do not shed their First Amendment rights at the schoolhouse gate, and this includes Christian students...
??Ally Week? Pushes Gay Agenda?
Posted on October 21, 2009Citizen Link: "The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) is sponsoring Ally Week. The event, launched Monday, is designed to get straight students to be allied with gay students against what GLSEN calls 'anti-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender language, bullying and harassment in America's schools...
Arizona pro-lifers take ASU officials to court
Posted on October 21, 2009CitizenLink: "Heather Gebelin Hacker, litigation staff counsel for ADF, said pro-life students should not have a price tag placed on expression of their beliefs . . ."
Pro-life students ignore ridicule, speak up for unborn, prevent friends? abortions
Posted on October 21, 2009LifeNews: "'Pro-life students shouldn't be discriminated against for expressing their beliefs, so ADF will be ready to defend any students who have their First Amendment rights violated,' said ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman."
Maryland: ?Campus porn film flap has UMBC precedent?
Posted on October 21, 2009Catonsville Times: "Opposed to student plans to screen the pornographic film 'Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge' on the College Park campus in April, University of Maryland officials temporarily canceled the screening despite student protests. University officials also entered into an agreement with the legislature to produce guidelines for future screenings of X-rated films on all University System of Maryland campuses and other public colleges in the state...
Mississippi: ACLU Sues DeSoto County Schools, City of Olive Branch
Posted on October 21, 2009MyEyeWitnessNews.com: "It is suing the DeSoto County School District, the City of Olive Branch, and two Olive Branch Police officers. They were involved in the expulsion of a student who was accused of using gang signs at school."
Wisconsin: Bill targets churches, ministries would expand statute of limitations
Posted on October 21, 2009The Wisconsin Family Council has issued an update that includes this alert: ***Bill that would remove all statutes of limitation for civil lawsuits in child sex-abuse cases aimed at churches & must be stopped Assembly Bill 453 is scheduled for a public hearing at 11 a...
Obama Administration?s HHS Web Site Promotes Pro-Abortion Health Care Bills
Posted on October 21, 2009LifeNews: "While the administration of President Barack Obama is supportive of the pro-abortion health care bills in Congress, the actual federal government is supposed to remain neutral on legislative matters. However, the Department of Heath and Human Services is getting heat for promoting the pro-abortion health care bills...
Joe Infranco: Pray that court allows veterans? cross
Posted on October 21, 2009ADF attorney Joe Infranco writes at the Press-Enterprise: "Our courts have long allowed symbolic acknowledgement of God in recognition of our history. Our national motto is still 'In God we Trust,' Congress still opens each session in prayer, the White House acknowledges a National Day of Prayer and military chaplains of all faiths minister to those in harm's way...
Santorum: The Triumph of Socialism in U.S. Requires Destruction of Family and Church
Posted on October 20, 2009"Both the family and the Church stand in the way of socialism's triumph, former US Senator Rick Santorum told Christians gathered for the 17th International Week of Prayer and Fasting last week. The pro-life champion warned attendees, however, that both institutions are under heavy attack from Obama-administration policies...
Same-sex ?marriage? advocates protest in Tennessee
Posted on October 20, 2009News Channel 9: "Dozens of people gathered outside the Hamilton County Courthouse to protest about gay marriage toda