Religion & Law

Washington Post Editorial: The values of Professor Liu

Posted on March 07, 2011
Washington Post: "The brilliant professor, who turned just 40 in October, testified that he would not allow his academic musings to interfere with the duties of a lower-court judge to follow precedent. He should be confirmed and given the opportunity to demonstrate that he can do that...

Church Dispute Dismissed To Keep Court Out of Deciding Church Doctrine and Governance

Posted on March 07, 2011
Religion Clause Blog: "In Retta v. Mekonnen, (TX App., March 3, 2011), the Texas Court of Appeals dissolved a temporary injunction that had been issued by a Dallas trial court. The appeals court concluded that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to issue the injunction because the dispute requires the determination of religious doctrine and church governance...

Montana Supreme Court Stays Order Requiring Surgery Over Woman?s Religious Objections

Posted on March 07, 2011
Religion Clause Blog: "The Montana Supreme Court last week ordered a stay and expedited appeal of a trial court's order that a woman with cancer undergo surgery despite her religious objections. In Office of State Public Defender on Behalf of L.K. v. Montana Fourth Judicial District Court, (MT Sup...

Pa. elementary school: Invitations to children?s party OK?unless held at a church

Posted on March 07, 2011
Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund filed a lawsuit against Pocono Mountain School District officials Friday on behalf of a 5th-grade student who was prohibited from distributing fliers that invited fellow Barrett Elementary Center students to a Christmas party at her church...

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?Gay legislators having impact in marriage debates?

Posted on March 07, 2011
AP: "Of America's 7,382 state legislators, only 85 are openly gay or lesbian. They are, however, playing an outsized and often impassioned role when the agenda turns to recognizing same-sex couples with civil unions or full marriage rights."

?Mexico City records 700 gay weddings in first year?

Posted on March 07, 2011
AP: "Seven hundred gay and lesbian couples have married in Mexico City since the capital enacted the first law in Latin America explicitly allowing same-sex marriages a year ago."

Boehner: House Will Fight to Defend Marriage Law

Posted on March 07, 2011
Christian Post: Up until now, the Department of Justice defended DOMA in lawsuits challenging its constitutionality since taking office two years ago. But the Alliance Defense Fund says the defense filings by the Obama administration have been deficient and have actually "undermined rather than defended DOMA...

Religious Figures Weigh In On BYU Brandon Davies Dismissal from Basketball Team

Posted on March 07, 2011
GodDiscussion.com: Gregory S. Baylor, Senior Counsel ? University Project, at the Christian conservative legal organization, the Alliance Defense Fund, applauds BYU's decision: Give credit to BYU for not making an exception to the honor code for a star athlete on a team that might legitimately compete for a national championship...

Government Unions Have Leverage over Budgets and Taxes

Posted on March 07, 2011
NCPA Policy Digest: "Granting unions a monopoly over work done in government gives unions enormous leverage over budgets and taxes. Unions use this power to raise taxes and get more of the budget spent on them."

India court OKs ending life support in rare cases

Posted on March 07, 2011
AP: "India's Supreme Court ruled Monday that in rare cases a terminally ill patient can be removed from life support, a major shift in a country where such acts have long been illegal."

Steve Aden on the Zeb Bell Show: Indiana county?s regulations on abortion survive

Posted on March 07, 2011
ADF attorney Steven Aden appeared on the Zeb Bell Show to discuss this: Indiana county?s regulations on abortion survive ACLU challenge. | MP3 audio 18:14 mins

Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev) to retire in 2012

Posted on March 07, 2011
Washington Post: "Ensign, who was first elected to the Senate in 2000 after two terms in the House, is the third Republican to announce his retirement in this year. He follows Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (Texas) and Jon Kyl (Ariz.) to the sidelines. Four Democrats, as well as Sen...

Texas House approves abortion sonogram bill, now to Senate for reconciliation

Posted on March 07, 2011
Houston Chronicle: "A measure requiring women in Texas to get a sonogram before ending a pregnancy has passed the House."

FFRF: Walker budget proposal would open voucher floodgates, destroy common schools

Posted on March 07, 2011
Freedom from Religion Foundation: If enacted, Walker?s voucher proposals would ultimately destroy the dream of our common schools ? secular public education in Wisconsin,? said Annie Laurie Gaylor, who, with Dan Barker, co-directs the national state/church watchdog, based in Madison, Wis.

Colo. lawmakers hear civil unions bill testimony

Posted on March 07, 2011
9news.com: A proposal to grant same-sex couples similar rights and protections as married couples is up for its first hearing at the Colorado Legislature Monday, and lawmakers expect to hear several hours of public testimony before they vote. | SB 172

U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear appeal in Badger Catholic case

Posted on March 07, 2011
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Blog: ?The constitutional rights of Christian student organizations should be recognized by university officials just as they recognize those rights for other student groups,? Jordan Lorence of the Alliance Defense Fund, a legal alliance of Christian attorneys...

School Bans Child From Passing Out Party Invites

Posted on March 07, 2011
Fox News: District policies, according to ADF attorney David Cortman, prohibit any student speech promoting Christianity. ?It?s another example where schools need to be educated about the First Amendment,? Cortman told Fox News Radio. ?The policies that are at the heart of this lawsuit are unconstitutional...

Obama to resume military commission trials for Guantánamo detainees

Posted on March 07, 2011
The Hill: "President Obama on Monday ordered trials by military commission to resume at Guantánamo Bay. The move signals another defeat for Obama, who pledged to close the terrorist detention facility in Cuba within one year of taking office."

Government posts biggest monthly deficit ever

Posted on March 07, 2011
Washington Times: "The federal government posted its largest monthly deficit in history in February at $223 billion, according to preliminary numbers the Congressional Budget Office released Monday morning."

Federal Judiciary Releases Caseload Statistics

Posted on March 07, 2011
Blog of the Legal Times: "The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts has released its semi-annual report on the caseloads of the federal courts, including district, circuit and bankruptcy courts. The report, available here, includes detailed information on the types of cases filed in the year ending June 30, 2010...

Canada: Mayor of Saguenay Lac St. Jean vows to continue prayers despite ruling

Posted on March 07, 2011
CTV.ca: "The mayor of Saguenay is defying a ruling by Quebec's Human Rights Tribunal. Jean Tremblay was ordered to stop reciting a Christian prayer before City Council meetings."

NJ: Protesters Suspended for Calling Out Sick

Posted on March 04, 2011
NBCNewYork.com: Three union workers who called out sick to attend a labor rally at the New Jersey Statehouse last week have been suspended. The move comes a day after Gov. Christie told NBC New York in an interview that "people who call in sick better be sick...

The Buckeye Union Lesson: Ohio shows the way in a pivotal fight on behalf of taxpayers

Posted on March 04, 2011
Wall Street Journal (full text access via Google): "Wisconsin's donnybrook pitting taxpayers against public-sector unions and their Democratic clients continues to unfold, but it looks as if Ohio may now pass an even more ambitious agenda. There are some lessons here for the GOP, namely about political resolve, which is the only way to modernize government amid opposition from the usual pro-spending constituencies...

Richard Land: Americans Don?t Want a ?Truce? on Social Issues

Posted on March 04, 2011
Richard Land writes at the Wall Street Journal: There once was a promising Republican presidential candidate known for being an economic guru and master of the numbers: Sen. Phil Gramm. At one point in 1996, he had raised more money than any other candidate...

Daniels?s ?Truce? Call Finds Strong Support in WSJ Poll

Posted on March 04, 2011
Wall Street Journal: "The latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll appears to vindicate Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels?s repeated insistence that the country needs a ?truce? on fights over social issues while it grapples with its mounting economic challenges...

At Christian lawmaker?s funeral, Pakistan?s PM mum on blasphemy law

Posted on March 04, 2011
Christian Science Monitor: "Pakistan's prime minister joined mourners at today's funeral service for slain Christian minister Shahbaz Bhatti. Critics say a timid government has emboldened militants and allowed extremists to shape the country?s future...

Busting the Birth-Control Myth

Posted on March 04, 2011
Kirsten Powers writes at the Daily Beast: "Planned Parenthood says funding cuts will only increase America's abortion rate. Kirsten Powers asks: So why have abortions multiplied while access to contraception has greatly improved?"

Idaho Senate bill seeks ban on abortion after 20 weeks

Posted on March 04, 2011
Times-News MagicValley.com: "A bill that would prohibit women from getting an abortion 20 weeks after pregnancy has cleared its first hurdle in the Idaho Senate."

Pastor?s pro-life prayer at Iowa legislature raises ?questions?

Posted on March 04, 2011
QCTimes.com: Questions are being raised about separating church and state government following a prayer given before the Iowa Legislature that sought God's forgiveness for abortion and asked lawmakers to "have courage to rescue those being led away to death...

David French: ?Good News for Our Culture: ROTC Back at Harvard?

Posted on March 04, 2011
ADF Attorney David French writes at National Review Phi Beta Cons: "I was thrilled to see Harvard step up and assume the right kind of cultural leadership by bringing ROTC back to campus so quickly after DADT repeal. To be clear, I?m happy not so much because I believe the military needs Harvard but because Harvard ? and by extension, our broader culture ? needs more exposure to our military...

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