Religious Law

A Rastafarian goes to the Supreme Court after a prison shaved his dreadlocks

By the time Damon Landor arrived at a Louisiana corrections center to serve out a sentence for drug possession in 2020, he had maintained his Rastafarian vow to let his hair grow for nearly two decades.

Nov 10, 2025 9:54 AM CST

Supreme Court won’t hear challenge to landmark gay marriage ruling

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider a challenge to its landmark 2015 decision recognizing a constitutional right to same-sex marriage.

Nov 10, 2025 9:38 AM CST

Supreme Court sharply questions law banning conversion therapy

The Supreme Court sounded deeply skeptical Tuesday about a Colorado law banning conversion therapy for gay and transgender minors, suggesting the justices may scuttle the statute and similar restrictions in nearly 30 states.

Oct 7, 2025 1:28 PM CDT

Texas Showdown: Legal battle looming over Ten Commandments in schools

With a new state law set to kick in Monday requiring the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public classroom in Texas, many school districts this week are scrambling to figure out what to do. Some are holding off following a federal judge’s recent ruling against the mandate. Others are racing to fundraise for donated posters of the commandments.

Aug 27, 2025 8:43 AM CDT

Once-jailed county clerk asks Supreme Court to overturn right to same-sex marriage

A county clerk in Kentucky who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its 2015 decision finding that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right.

Aug 13, 2025 12:08 PM CDT

Mandatory reporting law includes conversations from confession if child abuse is suspected

Is a new Washington state law, which requires priests to report suspected child abuse or neglect, including information from confessions, an assault on the Catholic Church and thousands of years of religious doctrine and practice? That’s what the U.S. Justice Department says, asserting that it won’t sit “idly by when states mount attacks on the free exercise of religion.”

Jul 21, 2025 9:23 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: Supreme Court’s term was all about taking sides on the ideological divide

The court’s October 2024 term, which ended June 27, presented a number of cases that posed politically controversial issues concerning the aspects of the culture wars and challenges to the actions of President Donald Trump.

Jul 2, 2025 9:00 AM CDT

SCOTUS rules for parents with religious objections to LGBTQ storybooks in schools

Parents with religious objections to LGBTQ-inclusive storybooks in public schools are likely to succeed on their constitutional claim that the school board must give them an opt-out option, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision Friday.

Jun 27, 2025 10:29 AM CDT

Supreme Court upholds Affordable Care Act’s preventive care mandate

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a portion of the Affordable Care Act that requires health plans to provide free preventive care such as cancer screenings.

Jun 27, 2025 9:51 AM CDT

Rastafarian’s religious freedom suit against prison officials for cutting his hair wins Supreme Court review

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether a Rastafarian with religious objections to cutting his hair can seek money damages from Louisiana prison officials for strapping him down and shaving his head.

Jun 25, 2025 9:22 AM CDT

Change in establishment clause test doesn’t save Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law, 5th Circuit says

A Louisiana law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.

Jun 23, 2025 10:05 AM CDT

Supreme Court rules for Catholic charities groups in quest for state exemption to unemployment tax

A religious exemption to Wisconsin's unemployment tax violates the First Amendment as applied to a group of Catholic charities in northern Wisconsin that were denied the tax break, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a unanimous opinion.

Jun 5, 2025 10:28 AM CDT

Catholic charter school won’t receive state funding after Supreme Court splits on free exercise issue

A decision by the Oklahoma Supreme Court striking down state funding for an online Catholic charter school remains intact after the U.S. Supreme Court split 4-4 on First Amendment issues in the case.

May 22, 2025 10:30 AM CDT

What is canon law? Bishop Paprocki explains

The election of a new pope—who himself has a doctorate of canon law—has many lawyers interested. What exactly is canon law, and what should civil attorneys know about it? Bishop Thomas John Paprocki can shed light on the subject.

May 15, 2025 3:27 PM CDT

$2.6M settlement approved in suit claiming meditation program violated public school students’ religious rights

A federal judge in Chicago has approved a $2.6 million settlement in a class action lawsuit alleging that the Chicago Public Schools violated the establishment clause when it required students to participate in transcendental meditation or observe a half hour of silence.

May 8, 2025 12:53 PM CDT