Religion & Law

WV: Kanawha County Removes ?Sexual Orientation? from Cultural Diversity Policy

Posted on July 20, 2009
Family Policy Council of West Virginia Blog:"In a unanimous vote on Thursday evening, Kanawha County school board members voted unanimously to remove ?sexual orientation? from the proposed cultural diversity policy. This comes after much debate over the controversial wording which would have created a special class of students in Kanawha County public schools...

N.J. Court Splits on Union Decision

Posted on July 20, 2009
William McGuinness reports in The Advocate: "Brian Raum, senior counsel for the fund, told the Star-Ledger that because the pavilion is private property, the church could ban same-sex unions on the property because they go against the church?s religious beliefs...

N. Korea?s Hard-Labor Camps: On the Diplomatic Back Burner

Posted on July 20, 2009
Washington Post: "Nor have the camps become much of an issue for the American public, even though annotated images of them can be quickly called up on Google Earth and even though they have existed for half a century, 12 times as long as the Nazi concentration camps and twice as long as the Soviet Gulag...

Federal Judges Turn to Democratic Lobbyists

Posted on July 20, 2009
National Law Journal: "It turns out that confirmation isn't the only thing judges want from Congress. Federal judges are hoping a new set of lobbyists with strong Democratic ties will be able to push their agenda on Capitol Hill, including laying the groundwork for what judges view as a long-overdue salary increase...

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

Obama?s NAACP speech: ?Our gay brothers and sisters?

Posted on July 20, 2009
Text of President Obama's speech to the NAACP, via the White House website: "But make no mistake: The pain of discrimination is still felt in America. (Applause.) By African American women paid less for doing the same work as colleagues of a different color and a different gender...

September Argument Debut for Solicitor General Kagan

Posted on July 20, 2009
Tony Mauro writes at the National Law Journal: "Solicitor General Elena Kagan plans to make her first argument before the Supreme Court on Sept. 9 in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the so-called "Hillary - The Movie" case...

Federal court throws out challenge to Calif. marriage amendment

Posted on July 20, 2009
LifeSiteNews: "'The people of California want marriage to remain as the union between one man and one woman; they made their voice clear last November at the polls,' said Alliance Defense und Senior Counsel Brian Raum. Alliance Defense Fund attorneys represented ProtectMarriage...

?India court reviews gay sex order?

Posted on July 20, 2009
BBC: "The Supreme Court has asked the government and human rights groups which campaigned against the law to respond to the petition. Two judges said they would resume deliberations on 14 September."

AZ: Camp Verde closes cross controversy

Posted on July 20, 2009
Steve Ayers reports in the Verde News: "The controversy over a cross that hung in the town gymnasium for more than four years arrived on the Camp Verde political scene with a bang, just two weeks ago. On Wednesday, it left with barely a whimper."

Del. Congressman?s Townhall Erupts Over Obama Birth Certificate

Posted on July 20, 2009
The YouTube video is here.

Washington State Begins Rulemaking To Head Off Holiday Display Confusion At Capitol

Posted on July 20, 2009
Religion Clause Blog: "In anticipation of this year's holiday season, the Washington state Department of General Administration last week issued a Pre-proposal Statement of Inquiry and a letter announcing the start of a rule-making process on use of public areas of the Capitol campus...

Mike Johnson on the Paul Clayton Show: Jesus Banned from Public Prayers

Posted on July 20, 2009
ADF attorney Mike Johnson appeared on the Paul Clayton Show to discuss the controversy over prayer in Jesus' name in the Pennsylvania legislature and elsewhere. The MP3 runs just under nine minutes.

Chuck Colson on Breakpoint: Freedom of Religious Expression in Schools

Posted on July 20, 2009
Chuck Colson has this Breakpoint report on the challenge to religious expression in the schools and the National Free to Speak Campaign. The MP3 runs just under four minutes.

ACLU: ?Senate passes Hate Crimes Amendment lacking free speech and association protections?

Posted on July 20, 2009
ACLU Press Release: "However, the Senate version of the hate crimes bill lacks the strong protections for speech and association included in legislation passed by the House of Representatives in April. The American Civil Liberties Union believes that without the speech and association protections included in the House bill, the Senate hate crimes legislation could have a chilling effect on constitutionally protected speech and membership...

U.K. crime statistics hit record high far exceeding the U.S.

Posted on July 20, 2009
Andrew Ian Dodge reports at Pajamas Media: "In the UK, there are 2,034 offenses per 100,000 people, way ahead of second-place Austria at 1,677. The U.S. has a rate of 466 crimes per 100,000 residents, Canada has 935, Australia has 92, and South Africa has 1,609...

MN: ?Group asks hotels to eliminate pay-per-view porn?

Posted on July 20, 2009
Jeffrey Pieters reports in the Rochester Post-Bulletin: "Olmsted County commissioners last week heard a presentation from a victim services advocate who described the start of a program asking Rochester hotels to voluntarily curtail their offerings of pay-per-view porn movies...

Sotomayor is proof that elections matter

Posted on July 20, 2009
Gary Palmer, president of the Alabama Policy Institute, writes: "Just as the Constitution gives the President the power to nominate, it gives the U.S. Senate the responsibility to fully and publicly evaluate each nominee?s fitness for appointment as a federal judge before voting either for or against the nominee...

?Alarming Africa male gay HIV rate?

Posted on July 20, 2009
BBC: "HIV rates among gay men in some African countries are 10 times higher than among the general male population, says research in medical journal the Lancet."

OH: Akron prohibits discrimination over gender, sexual orientation

Posted on July 20, 2009
Stephanie Warsmith reports in the Akron Beacon Journal: "Discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is now prohibited by the City of Akron. The city issued equal employment and anti-harassment policies Friday that added these classifications, as well as ancestry and military status...

Competing Lawsuits Filed In Dispute Over Religious Services At Co-op Unit

Posted on July 20, 2009
Religion Clause Blog: "Bondi is head of an organization known as the Holy Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church of America. He holds services in his home which are attended each week by ten to 15 people. The cooperative has threatened to terminate his lease saying he is in violation of a lease provision that limits use of homes to residential purposes...

Obama to meet with Mormon Church president today

Posted on July 20, 2009
Dan Gilgoff reports at God & Country: "Tucked into the president's schedule this afternoon: a closed-press meeting with the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?better known as the Mormon church?and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the highest-ranking Mormon in the U...

US may lift entry ban on HIV patients

Posted on July 20, 2009
Alex Newman reports in The New American: "For more than two decades, anybody who is HIV positive has been prevented from entering the United States. But with President Barack Obama?s support, the ban will likely expire soon, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) taking public comments until August 17...

New Zealand: Abortion ban battle back in court

Posted on July 20, 2009
Taranaki Daily News: "Anti-abortion group Right to Life is essentially seeking a ban on all abortions by arguing embryos should be given full human rights."

UK: ?Condom scheme bid to slash teen pregnancies?

Posted on July 20, 2009
Patrick Knox reports in the Basing Stoke Gazette: "Condoms are to be dished out free to boys as young as 13 in a bid to slash teenage pregnancy rates and sexually-transmitted diseases. Plans are in the pipeline to introduce drop-in clinics to schools in north Hampshire where condom cards will be available...

Abortion as Health Care: Obama Wants Us to Pay for It

Posted on July 20, 2009
Catholic League: "If the Bush administration had said that it wants to seek 'common ground' on gun control, and then decided to subsidize handguns in high crime areas, it would have been condemned from high heaven."

?Same-sex couples seek immigration benefit?

Posted on July 20, 2009
Associated Press: "That could soon change, as more than 100 lawmakers in the House and about 20 in the Senate have signed onto bills that would add the United States to the 19 countries that already recognize same-sex couples for immigration purposes...

Iran supreme leader warns opposition to back down

Posted on July 20, 2009
AP: "Iran's supreme leader told politicians Monday not to disturb the country's security in a strong warning to the opposition to back down after one of its top figures called for a referendum on the government."

David Boies: ?Why Ted Olson and I are working to overturn California?s Proposition 8?

Posted on July 20, 2009
David Boies writing in the Wall Street Journal: "There are those who sincerely believe that homosexuality is inconsistent with their religion -- and the First Amendment guarantees their freedom of belief. However, the same First Amendment, as well as the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses, preclude the enshrinement of their religious-based disapproval in state law...

Health bill might direct tax money to abortion

Posted on July 20, 2009
Robert Pear and Adam Liptak report in the New York Times: "Peter R. Orszag, the White House budget director, asked whether he was prepared to say that 'no taxpayer money will go to pay for abortions,' answered: 'I am not prepared to say explicitly that right now...

Scotland: Religious debate dominates by-election

Posted on July 20, 2009
Ian Hunt reports at politics.co.uk: "Religious issues have begun to dominate the by-election campaign in Glasgow North, with the Scottish National party (SNP) candidate's membership of Catholic group Opus Dei taking centre stage. David Kerr, a former BBC journalist, admitted being a member of Opus Dei recently, but has made several statements assuring voters religion will play no part in the campaign...

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