Religion & Law

Fla. A&M unconstitutionally shuts down Christian student group

Posted on February 09, 2011
The Alliance Defense Fund sent officials of Florida A&M University a letter Tuesday urging them to reinstate a Christian student group they de-recognized in January and banned from engaging in activities on campus.

Arizona lawmakers to consider anti-abortion bills

Posted on February 09, 2011
AZ Republic: "This year, legislation is aimed at furthering restrictions on an increasingly popular prescription abortion pill as well as preventing doctors from using remote video technology to serve rural patients seeking abortions."

There are now 371 to EPC objectors have raised demand before the ECHR

Posted on February 09, 2011
Hazteoir.org (Google Translation): Recalling that the lawsuits were filed by Professionals for Ethics and Alliance Defense Fund , with legal assistance from the European Centre for Law and Justice , the information in A. Matthew states that the Spanish families who have appeared before the ECHR "argue that Spain has violated several articles of the European Convention on Human Rights : right to privacy of minors (art...

Demand to the Spanish for ?violating the right of objection to EpC?

Posted on February 09, 2011
Europapress.es (Google translation): Professional ethics, has filed claims with aa Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), an entity specializing in the defense of human rights, has indicated that the applicants, conscientious objectors to EPC, "allege the violation by the Spanish state of several articles of the European Convention on Human Rights (right to privacy of minors, freedom of thought, conscience and religion of children and their parents, the right of parents to educate their children according to their convictions; and non-discrimination)...

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Maryland same-sex marriage bill debated

Posted on February 09, 2011
Daily Record: ?The legislation before you is inconsistent with the purposes of Maryland?s marriage laws,? Austin R. Nimocks, senior legal counsel of the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Alliance Defense Fund, told the committee. ?Men and women still comprise the two great halves of humanity...

King James 400 at the Local Level ? Some Practical Options

Posted on February 09, 2011
Robert Oliphant writes at The Economist: "As might be expected the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible (May 2nd 2011) is being celebrated with great verve and panache this year."

WSJ: Republicans Push Antiabortion Bills

Posted on February 09, 2011
Wall Street Journal: "Now, House Republican leaders, with the backing of social conservatives, are pushing ahead with a series of antiabortion bills that will share the stage with jobs in this legislative session. That move is reviving tension in the party between those who want to press ahead on social issues and those who say doing so could backfire among voters...

MD: ?Montgomery attorney stands behind county pregnancy center law?

Posted on February 09, 2011
The Examiner: Montgomery County's top attorney is standing behind a local law that requires pregnancy centers to post signs in their waiting rooms informing patients if they don't employ medically licensed professionals, even though a judge threw out a similar ordinance in Baltimore ...

Pittsburgh settles abortion ?speech zones? lawsuit

Posted on February 09, 2011
NECN: "Brown and the Alliance Defense Fund had argued that the combination of buffer and bubble zones kept protesters too far away from clients to hand them anti-abortion leaflets and to conduct conversations about abortion without having to shout."

Republican says no federal bailout for states

Posted on February 09, 2011
AP: A leading House Republican says that even as struggling state and local governments seek federal help to make it through widespread budget problems, "the era of the bailout is over."

Washington Post: ?Same-sex marriage has good chance of approval, Maryland Senate leader says?

Posted on February 09, 2011
Washington Post: Tuesday's hearing grew combative at several points, particularly during testimony by Austin R. Nimocks, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, a national organization that seeks to defend "religious freedom." Nimocks argued that government should keep marriage between a man and a woman as an incentive to foster "responsible procreation...

MD: ?Hundreds crowd Senate for hearing on same-sex marriage?

Posted on February 09, 2011
Baltimore Sun: Austin R. Nimocks, a lawyer for the conservative Alliance Defense Fund, argued that marriage is intended to create a "stable union for the sake of responsibly producing and raising the next generation." "By adopting same-sex marriage you are telling those families that mothers and fathers don't matter," said Nimocks, who has testified around the country against gay marriage...

Judge dismisses Air Force Academy prayer lawsuit

Posted on February 09, 2011
"A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to block a prayer luncheon at the Air Force Academy."

Cameron on prisoners as voters: EU court?s ruling makes him feel ?physically ill?

Posted on February 09, 2011
BBC: "David Cameron told MPs at Prime Minister's Questions: "I don't see any reason why prisoners should get the vote . . . The prime minister has said he feels "physically ill" at the thought of granting convicted criminals the right to vote but he had to abide by the European Court's 2005 ruling...

God, science not wholly exclusive, astronomer says

Posted on February 09, 2011
AP: A Christian astronomer who sued the University of Kentucky for religious discrimination says the perceived divide between faith and science is an "illusion."

Ohio: Vandals deface church statues; Satanists?

Posted on February 09, 2011
Dayton Daily News: "In the courtyard where the statues stand, a brick wall had ?666? painted in black. The other side of the wall had a red pentagram . . . "

Christians in Java uneasy after ?orchestrated? attacks on churches

Posted on February 09, 2011
Catholic Culture: "Indonesian police have stepped up security around Christian churches in Java in the wake of a series of attacks by Muslim militants, amid complaints that the government has not provided adequate protection for religious minorities."

Bill about religious objections to ?gay marriage? tabled, for now

Posted on February 09, 2011
Radio Iowa: "A bill that would have allowed Iowans to fire or refuse business services to people involved in a homosexual relationship has been tabled, but backers hope to craft another bill that would allow Iowans with ?sincere? religious objections to refuse to do business with gays and lesbians...

Indiana Senate panel: Doctors must say life begins at conception

Posted on February 09, 2011
Journal Gazette: "An Indiana Senate committee has endorsed a bill to require doctors to tell women seeking an abortion that human life begins at conception and that a fetus might feel pain at or before 20 weeks."

Permanent Ban on Abortion Funding Long Overdue, Says USCCB In House Testimony

Posted on February 09, 2011
PR Newswire: "A permanent ban on abortion funding is long overdue, which is why the U.S. bishops support the No Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Act (H.R. 3), said a representative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in a February 8 testimony to the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the House Judiciary Committee...

House rejects GOP-effort to make UN repay $179 million overpayment

Posted on February 09, 2011
Boston Globe (AP): "The House on Wednesday rejected a Republican-led effort to force the United Nations to give back $179 million in overpayments, falling short in the face of Obama administration arguments that much of the money already had been designated to boost security around an international headquarters susceptible to terrorist attack...

Cuomo On NY Marriage: ?We?re Going To Take It Up This Session?

Posted on February 09, 2011
Politics on the Hudson: "In a question-and-answer session this afternoon on Long Island, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he would push to have a same-sex marriage bill pass the Legislature this session."

Say it ?aint so: Is law school starting to lose some of its luster?

Posted on February 09, 2011
WSJ Law Blog: "Say it ?aint so: Is law school starting to lose some of its luster? Are college graduates increasingly doubting the long-held notion that a law degree is a certain path to financial stability?"

Indiana proposal would say life begins at conception

Posted on February 09, 2011
Courier Press: "A proposal that would require women seeking an abortion in Indiana to be told that human life begins at conception and that a fetus can feel pain at or before 20 weeks is set for a vote in a state Senate committee."

HI: Panel passes civil unions bill

Posted on February 09, 2011
The Star Advertiser: "The House could vote on the bill this week or early next week. Both the House and Senate must agree on the final language of the bill before it can go to Abercrombie. Senate Bill 232 substantively mirrors the much-debated House Bill 444 from last year that was passed by the Legislature but vetoed by then-Gov...

Norway: Marriage between cousins faces ban

Posted on February 09, 2011
News and Views from Norway: "Marriage between cousins was once fairly common, not least in royal circles, with Norway?s own king the product of parents who were first cousins. Now the Labour Party?s committee on integration, headed by Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, wants to ban such unions, setting off debate because of the stigmas it could create...

Spain sued in the Court of Human Rights EpC

Posted on February 09, 2011
CNA (Google Translation): The Spanish platform Professionals for Ethics (PPE), which has filed claims with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), an entity specializing in the defense of human rights, has indicated that the applicants, EPC conscientious objectors " allege a violation by the Spanish state of several articles of the European Convention on Human Rights...

9th Circuit to consider AZ repeal of domestic partner benefits for state employees

Posted on February 09, 2011
Keen News Service: "The case is Collins v. Brewer from Arizona. The case, brought by Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, pits a group of 10 gay state employees (including Tracy Collins) against a new state law barring them from signing up their domestic partners and children for family health insurance coverage...

FL: School Board Gets Free Legal Aid Offer Against Groups Trying to Stop its Invocations

Posted on February 09, 2011
TheLedger.com: "A Lakeland man told the Polk County School Board on Tuesday that it could have free legal representation against any group that wants to stop prayers before the meetings. Morgan Smith, who is a member of the Liberty Council, said the board won't have to worry about legal fees should it get sued...

Washington Times: ?No room for the Ten Commandments: Faith abolitionists sue to scrub Decalogue from schools, courts?

Posted on February 09, 2011
Washington Times: If the House of Representatives - the people?s house - is free to begin daily sessions with a religious invocation, public schools that choose to mount the Ten Commandments for display ought not to be accused of violating the Constitution...

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