Religion & Law

New rules approved for Kansas sex businesses

Posted on March 10, 2011
Wichita Eagle: The House voted to approve the so-called ?Community Defense Act,? which would restrict new adult business from opening within 1,000 feet of a school, park, church library or a residence.

Christian group opposes explicit sex education resources for primary schools

Posted on March 10, 2011
Christian Today: "The Christian Institute is calling upon the Government to put a stop to the use of explicit material in sex education classes."

Marriage rally at Iowa Capitol will feature former Alabama justice Roy Moore

Posted on March 10, 2011
Des Moines Register: "Iowans who want a vote on banning gay marriage will rally at the Iowa Capitol on Tuesday. The marriage rally is set for 11:30 a.m. on the west steps of the building, according to Bob Vander Plaats of the Family Leader, a social conservative advocacy group...

Utah Legislature increases inspections of abortion clinics

Posted on March 10, 2011
KSL.com: "Instead of every two years, HB171 requires the Utah Department of Health to inspect without notice the state's three abortion clinics twice a year. All three clinics are located in Salt Lake County. Doctors' offices that perform elective abortions also must undergo the semi-annual inspections...

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Video: Kansas Churches Sue Over ?Driveway Tax?

Posted on March 10, 2011
Fox News carries this video that features ADF Attorney Erik Stanley. Related ADF Press Release: Kansas town sued for taxing church attendance

County Officials in Virginia sue Homeland Security for releasing violent illegals back into the community

Posted on March 10, 2011
AVVO: "The board is also reportedly seeking a congressional investigation into the department's handling of immigration records and has announced that it may file an additional lawsuit in order to get information of other illegal immigrants who were released back into the community...

NPR: Muslim Americans Question Scrutiny At Border

Posted on March 10, 2011
WPUR.org (NPR) (includes audio): "Rep. Peter King (R-NY) opens hearings Thursday on the radicalization of Muslims in America. NPR takes a look at what it is like for Muslim Americans with valid U.S. passports to cross the border into the country. Border agents are asking them about their religion, and where they pray and how often ? all of which might be a violation of the First Amendment...

Texas House votes to require women to see sonogram image of unborn child before abortion

Posted on March 10, 2011
LifeSiteNews: "The Texas House has joined the Senate to require women to see a sonogram image of their unborn child before undergoing an abortion, in a 107-42 vote held yesterday."

Post-Gosnell Inspections Close Two Problematic Abortion Centers

Posted on March 10, 2011
LifeNews: "The inspections, which hadn?t taken place in over a decade, turned up problems at two abortion centers also located in Philadelphia and the owner and operator of the centers has decided to shut them down and retire as opposed to correcting the problems...

Pro-Life Group Demands Pro-Life Provisions in Next Budget Bill

Posted on March 10, 2011
LifeNews: "When the next short-term continuing resolution is discussed, the Family Research Council wants House Republicans to include those provisions."

European court asked to intervene after German mother jailed in sex ed row

Posted on March 10, 2011
Christian Today: Roger Kiska, ADF legal counsel, said: ?Parents, not the government, are the ones ultimately responsible for making educational choices for their children, and jailing them for standing on this universal right is simply unconscionable...

Religious group sues NH town for sign denial

Posted on March 10, 2011
Boston Globe: "It's content-based discrimination," said Attorney Michael Tierney, a member of the Alliance Defense Fund that represents the religious group. The ADF is a national group of Christian lawyers and religious groups. Tierney said the proposed sign would not flash, scroll or blink and would feature a single Bible verse each day...

China vows no Western-style political reforms

Posted on March 10, 2011
AP: "China will never adopt multiparty democracy or other Western-style political reforms that could challenge the Communist Party's grip on power, the head of the country's national legislature said Thursday."

Americans Think New State Laws Will Reduce Number of Abortions

Posted on March 10, 2011
Rasmussen: Pro-life state legislators are pushing several measures that critics view as restrictions on abortion, and most Americans agree that two of these proposals are at least somewhat likely to reduce the number of abortions in America.

Christians slam Malaysia gov?t for Bible seizure

Posted on March 10, 2011
AP: "The main Christian grouping in Muslim-majority Malaysia said Thursday it was "fed up" with the government's refusal to allow the distribution of tens of thousands of Bibles, saying this was an affront to religious freedoms."

Reid signals Dems are ready to compromise on spending cuts

Posted on March 10, 2011
The Hill: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday he?s ready to compromise on spending after a GOP spending-cut bill won more votes in the Senate than the Democratic alternative."

Spending plan vote backfires as Democrats suffer defections

Posted on March 10, 2011
The Hill: "The Democratic bill attracted two fewer votes than the rival GOP measure that would cut spending by another $57 billion this year. The 11 defections will give Republican leaders ammunition in subsequent talks, as they were able to keep their caucus more unified...

Rhode Island Senate to hold hearings on marriage redefinition

Posted on March 10, 2011
AP: "The hearing is scheduled for late Thursday in the Statehouse."

House GOP leaders vote to defend marriage act

Posted on March 10, 2011
UPI on Polijam: "Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives voted to hire outside counsel to defend the Defense of Marriage Act."

Q&A: What Obama?s DOMA decision means & why it is significant

Posted on March 10, 2011
Florida Baptist Witness: "Baptist Press asked Austin R. Nimocks, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund?a Christian legal group?to explain the importance of the Justice Department?s decision. Following is a transcript . . . "

OH: ?Chillicothe looks to add diversity to invocations?

Posted on March 10, 2011
Chillicothe Gazette: Burkhart said the Alliance Defense Fund would be willing to assist the city in a legal defense if it adopts the guidelines he and city Law Director Toni Eddy developed. Burkhart also said the Alliance Defense Fund has been successful in previous federal cases defending the policies...

When Scalia dissents, he is writing for law schools

Posted on March 10, 2011
At the Volokh Conspiracy, Orin Kerr takes issue with a new commentary by Linda Greenhouse concerning the purpose of Justice Scalia's bombastic dissents.

Des Moines lawyer is named to panel he?s suing by Branstad

Posted on March 10, 2011
Des Moines Register: "Gov. Terry Branstad has appointed a lawyer to the Iowa Judicial Nominating Commission who is suing the commission on behalf of several Iowans. Branstad chose William R. Gustoff of Des Moines to serve on the commission, which selects the finalists for vacancies on the Iowa Court of Appeals and Iowa Supreme Court...

Md. House considering amendment that would send same-sex marriage bill back to Senate

Posted on March 10, 2011
The amendment, sought by Del. John A. Olszewski Jr. (D-Baltimore County), would tweak language intended to provide protections to religious organizations whose beliefs are not compatible with same-sex marriage.

Political earthquake? Social conservatives awaken to the public union menace

Posted on March 10, 2011
From labor to education, unions have been walking in lock-step with the liberal agenda and this administration. We witnessed it with ObamaCare, as unions spent millions endorsing a law that many have since been exempted from. At the National Education Association (NEA), the radical politicking is legendary...

Wisconsin Assembly votes to curb collective-bargaining

Posted on March 10, 2011
LA Times: "By 53-42, the GOP-controlled Assembly approves a measure to sharply curb collective-bargaining rights for most public employees. The plan now goes to Gov. Scott Walker, who has said he will sign it. Democrats are expected to fight the plan in the courts...

UK: Warning of public sector ?exodus? over pensions

Posted on March 10, 2011
Telegraph: "Hundreds of thousands of doctors, civil servants and other public sector workers will be denied early retirement to cut the cost of their pensions to the taxpayer, a report will signal."

David French: Why Is It So Easy for Lila Rose and James O?Keefe?

Posted on March 10, 2011
David French writes at National Review: "Why has this been so easy? Because until now Planned Parenthood, ACORN, and NPR have not experienced real media accountability or real journalistic scrutiny ? at least not to the extent that conservative politicians and organizations do...

Wis. Senate Clerk: Only Notice Required for Committee Meeting Was Posting on Bulletin Board

Posted on March 10, 2011
Volokh Conspiracy: "Questions have been raised whether the 2-hour notice given of the Wisconsin Senate committee meeting was adequate. Rob Marchant, the Clerk of the Senate issued this statement . . . "

Italian Government Unveils Controversial Judiciary Reform Bill

Posted on March 10, 2011
RTTNews.com: "The controversial bill seeks to allow Italian citizens to sue the judges for miscarriage of justice and calls for ending the right of prosecutors to appeal against acquittals. Under current Italian laws, both prosecutors and defendants are permitted to appeal against verdicts...

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