Religion & Law

Latest ?Tort Reform? Bill Infringes on Judicial Independence & Religious Liberty

Posted on March 11, 2011
Andrew Cochran writes at the Injury Board Law Network: "For instance, when the University of Illinois threatened to fire a professor for his invoking Christianity in his class, a lawsuit filed by the Alliance Defense Fund forced the university to back down...

Marriage to be defended after House panel?s 3-2 vote

Posted on March 11, 2011
Michael Foust writes at Baptist Press: Alliance Defense Fund senior counsel Brian Raum said the American people "deserve to have their laws defended" and that the "House has stepped up to the plate where the Department of Justice has shirked its responsibility...

Hundreds turn out at Rhode Island State House for hearing on same-sex marriage bills

Posted on March 11, 2011
Providence Journal: A number of opponents also focused on the bill?s proposed protections for religious institutions. Anthony R. Picarello Jr., general counsel of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, argued that no exemption language could possibly cover all the potential religious-freedom conflicts that a gay marriage law would create...

Defense of marriage, new and old

Posted on March 11, 2011
Mercator.Net: The president may have decided against it, but the defense of traditional marriage is being taken up by assorted other people who wield power. Here are two . . . "The American people deserve to have their laws defended. The House has stepped up to the plate where the Department of Justice has shirked its responsibility,? said Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel Brian Raum...

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Obama nominates former Kansas Attorney General Steve Six to replace Tacha on federal appeals bench

Posted on March 11, 2011
LJWorld.com: "Lawrence resident and former Kansas Attorney General Steve Six was nominated Wednesday by President Obama to serve on the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals."

German Mother Jailed over Children Skipping Sex Ed Class

Posted on March 11, 2011
Crosswalk Religion Today Summaries: The religious liberty group Alliance Defense Fund is now asking the European Court of Human Rights to overturn the mother's sentence, although the father has already served his. Roger Kiska, ADF legal counsel, said, ?Irene Wiens was well within her rights under the European Convention of Human Rights to opt to teach her children a view of sexuality that is in accord with her own religious beliefs, instead of sending them to four days of classes and an interactive play that she found to be objectionable...

State AG Challenge To Bush Era Conscience Rules Dropped Because of Revisions

Posted on March 11, 2011
Religion Clause Blog: "A lawsuit filed in 2009 by a coalition of state attorneys general challenging the health care provider conscience rules promulgated by the Bush administration was dropped last week."

Chechnya Criticized For Imposing Islamic Dress Code on Women

Posted on March 11, 2011
Religion Clause Blog: "Human Rights Watch yesterday released a report titled You Dress According to Their Rules: Enforcement of an Islamic Dress Code for Women in Chechnya (full text). Here is a summary from the text of the report . . . "

Democrats demand Obama?s budget help

Posted on March 11, 2011
The Hill: "Frustrated Senate Democrats gave senior White House advisers an earful Thursday afternoon during a private meeting, telling them that President Obama needs to get more involved in the budget battle, according to Democratic sources."

Virginia: 4th Circuit hearings scheduled in Obamacare challenge

Posted on March 11, 2011
SCOTS Blog reports: "The Fourth Circuit Court on Thursday scheduled oral argument for Tuesday, May 10, for cases testing the constitutionality of the new federal health care law ? focusing especially on the law?s requirement that virtually all Americans must obtain health insurance by 2014...

Unions frame bargaining as civil rights issue

Posted on March 11, 2011
AP: "Labor unions at the heart of a burning national disagreement over the cost of public employees want to frame the debate as a civil rights issue, an effort that may draw more sympathy to public workers being blamed for busting state budgets with generous pensions...

UK transgender woman loses breast enlargement bid

Posted on March 11, 2011
AP: "A British court has ruled that a transgender woman is not entitled to have breast enlargement surgery paid for by the state-funded National Health Service."

NV considers Internet poker bill, but casinos balk

Posted on March 11, 2011
AP: "Some Nevada lawmakers want the state to be the first to regulate the multibillion dollar, quasi-legal Internet poker industry."

IMAPP: February 2011 Marriage Law Digest Online

Posted on March 11, 2011
The February 2011 Marriage Law Digest, edited by Bill Duncan of the Marriage Law Foundation, is now available here [pdf].

Montana: Hansen supports proposal to elect Supreme Court justices from districts

Posted on March 11, 2011
Havre Daily News: Senate Bill 268, sponsored by Sen. Joe Balyeat, R-Bozeman, would place a referendum on the 2012 ballot. The proposal splits the state into seven districts, similar to the way representation by district is set up for the Public Service Commission...

Harper confirmed to Connecticut Supreme Court

Posted on March 11, 2011
Hartford Courant: Judge Lubbie Harper told his life story Friday to the legislature's judiciary committee, which later approved his nomination to the Connecticut Supreme Court.

Maryland bill to redefine marriage dead – for now

Posted on March 11, 2011
"Supporters said they didn't think they had the 71 votes needed to pass the bill Friday, and it was sent back to committee in a procedure that will allow them to to continue with the legislation next year."

NY Times spotlight on Bob Vander Plaats

Posted on March 11, 2011
The NY Times has titled its piece: The Road to the White House Is Paved With Pizza

W.Va. sexual orientation measure dies in legislative session

Posted on March 11, 2011
WV Gazette: "West Virginia will not add sexual orientation to its anti-discrimination laws, at least not this year. Lawmakers didn't act in time on a pair of bills (SB226, HB2045) . . . "

Turkmenistan: Protestants Still Targets

Posted on March 11, 2011
Persecution Blog: "The head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Turkmenistan announced in a speech on Feb. 2 that the government ban on religious literature for the Orthodox Church has been lifted, according to Forum 18 News. No other church group in the country has the same freedom...

Light Sentences for Attack on Christians in Indonesia Condemned

Posted on March 11, 2011
Persecution Blog: Human rights and Christian leaders said a West Java court's light sentence for Islamic extremists who injured a church pastor and an elder will encourage more violence and religious intolerance.

The University of Chicago Law School Unveils Its Enhanced Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP)

Posted on March 11, 2011
Above the Law: "The University of Chicago Law School today announced a complete redesign of its Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP), making it the most generous program of its kind. The three most important changes to the program are that it now offers the opportunity for any graduate staying in public interest for ten years to go to law school for free, that all graduates who serve as judicial clerks will be eligible for the program, and that a generous $80,000 salary cap will make the program more inclusive than ever...

New Continuing Resolution Funds Abortion, Planned Parenthood

Posted on March 11, 2011
"That the new CR doesn't contain the pro-life provisions has upset some Republican lawmakers and one pro-life group that says it will score votes on the short-term bill as pro-abortion vote because the pro-life policy measures are not included."

Conservative Movement Leaders Oppose Short-Term CR: Heritage Action, Family Research Council and Club for Growth to Key Vote

Posted on March 11, 2011
"Today, three leading organizations in the conservative movement made clear their opposition to any additional short-term continuing resolutions and announced their intent to key vote the next such measure."

Survey: 92% of French women consider abortion a traumatic event

Posted on March 11, 2011
Christian Telegraph: "A recent survey done by OpinionWay on abortion and contraception mentalities in French women found that 92 percent consider abortion a traumatic event, and 83 percent say abortion is physically painful, reports LifeSiteNews.com...

MO: State House Backs Prayer Amendment

Posted on March 11, 2011
KTTS.com: "The measure would prohibit cities, counties and schools in Missouri from adopting policies to prevent prayer or any other religious demonstrations in public places."

Eater, NY: Little League Parents Want to Take Bats to West Village Nudie Club

Posted on March 11, 2011
NY.Curbed.com: In angry letters to the State Liquor Authority from the Greenwich Village Little League and Downtown Little League, according to The Villager. The problem, say the letters, is that kids on their way to practice at Pier 40 will be traumatized by "sexualized 'red light district' imagery, rowdy partygoers and alcohol consumption

NC: Could a strip club be coming to Mooresville?

Posted on March 11, 2011
Lake Norman WBTV: "Developer Terrell Hinson has presented a proposal to build an adult club along Oates Road, behind the Fat Boy's restaurant."

Okla: Miami strip club owner arrested on alcohol, nudity complaints

Posted on March 11, 2011
Tulsa World: An Ottawa County strip club remains open despite the arrest of its owner on several alcohol and nudity complaints.

Judge orders Seattle strip club to close

Posted on March 11, 2011
Columbian.com: "King County Superior Court Judge Suzanne Barnett on Friday granted an order sought by city attorneys who say the club violates a zoning buffer because it's within 200 feet of a school, child care center, community center and park."

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