Religion & Law

"May Church Be Ordered to Let in Parishioners Who Had Been Excluded from Worship Services?", is the question presented by a recent case in Texas, reports Eugene Volokh, here.  A bit, from the opinion:

The First Amendment prohibits governmental action, including court action, that would burden the free exercise of religion by encroaching on a church?s ability to manage its internal affairs.... ?It is a core tenet of First Amendment jurisprudence that, in resolving civil claims, courts must be careful not to intrude upon internal matters of church governance....? ...

A church has the right to control its membership without government interference, including interference by the courts. Likewise, a church has authority to determine who may enter its premises and who will be excluded without government interference....