Religion & Law

Clerks May Say I Don't to Gay Weddings
Can court employees who have some type of conscientious objection to same-sex marriages opt out of doing the work related to the process? Yes, says the San Diego County clerk, who will give employees that option...

California prisons prepare for gay weddings
No prisoners so far have sought to arrange weddings with same-sex partners since the state Supreme Court granted same-sex couples the right to wed as of mid-June, according to Michele Kane, spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation...

What We Were Wondering: Numbers from Massachusetts
Just as we were wondering how many same-sex weddings California courts will have to cope with to see whether some courts' claims of a coming deluge were valid, the NYT provided interesting numbers from Massachusetts: In 2006, according to the US Census Bureau, there were 23,655 same-sex households in Massachusetts Since May 17, 2004, at least 10,500 same-sex couples wed there 6,121 of those married within the first 6 months that such weddings were legal In 2005, there were 2,060 same-sex weddings in Massachusetts In 2006, there were 1,442 In the first 8 months of 2007, there were 867 (do you see where this is going?) Nearly 2/3 of the weddings have been between women Nearly 1/3 of the couples are in their 40s, compared to the 1/2 of straight marrying couples who are under 30 According to lawyers, same-sex couples are more likely to have prenups See Gay Couples Find Marriage Is a Mixed Bag, Pam Belluck, New York Times (June 15, 2008)...

Calif. prisons prepare for gay weddings
Calif. prisons prepare for gay weddings By LISA LEFF Associated Press Writer Article Launched: 08/28/2008 03:22:55 PM PDT SAN FRANCISCO?Now that same-sex couples can get married in California, state prison officials are trying to figure out what that means for...

California: images of gay weddings will affect voters in fall referendum
The Los Angeles Times reports: Images from gay weddings, said Lorri L. Jean, chief executive of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, could be used by opponents in a campaign designed to persuade California voters that gays and lesbians...

Local bloggers talk about the FLDS case
Midtown Miscreant wants prosecutors to drop the hammer: So much for calls of religious tolerance and allegations that outsiders "Just don't understand" the religious beliefs of the Pedophile band of scumbags at the Yearning for Zion ranch...

Religious Decorations
Oklahoma City to pay attorney fees in religious freedom violations lawsuit.

Placebos Instead of Meds
Nearly Half of US Doctors Involved

Discrimination
race, gender, disability, religious or age discrimiation.

Clergy Molester
Religious group to pay $1.3 million in priest molestation settlement.

Religious Discrimination
NMSU to pay $165,000 in Muslim discrimination settlement.