Religious Law

Can companies be required to provide contraceptive coverage? US urges SCOTUS to decide the issue

The U.S. Supreme Court is being asked to decide whether for-profit companies can be required to provide contraceptive coverage over the religious objections of their owners. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. urged the court to resolve the issue last week in a case involving the craft store Hobby Lobby, report…

Sep 26, 2013 11:10 AM CDT

Park officials can’t restrict man’s right to hand out Bibles at gay pride event, appeals court says

Minneapolis park officials cannot restrict a man’s right to give away Bibles at a gay pride event in a public park, a federal appeals court has held. The St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 ruling (PDF) Wednesday, said the park district hadn’t shown that such…

Sep 12, 2013 8:16 PM CDT

‘Under God’ in Pledge violates Massachusetts Constitution, lawyer argues in state’s top court

The phrase “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance is being challenged in Massachusetts’ top court. A lawyer representing an atheist family in suburban Boston argued on Wednesday that the phrase violates the equal rights amendment in the Massachusetts Constitution, report the Religion News Service, NBC News and the Boston…

Sep 5, 2013 12:00 PM CDT

Judge explains why she ordered name change for baby ‘Messiah’: Only Jesus has that title

Parents who were feuding over the last name for their 7-month-old son, Messiah, took their dispute to a Tennessee court and wound up with a new first name for the boy. Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew ordered Messiah’s name changed to Martin last week, report the Associated Press and…

Aug 12, 2013 12:05 PM CDT

Judge refuses to drop murder charge against faith-healing parents after a second child dies

A Philadelphia judge refused to dismiss charges of third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter against a faith-healing Pennsylvania couple after they lost a second child to bacterial pneumonia. Herbert and Catherine Schaible were charged after their 8-month-old son, Brandon, died in April, report the Associated Press, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the…

Aug 8, 2013 1:18 PM CDT

Uncensored clergy prayers should be allowed before town meetings, 23 states argue in SCOTUS brief

The attorneys general of Texas and Indiana have filed an amicus brief (PDF) with the U.S. Supreme Court arguing that prayers by mostly Christian clergy members before legislative meetings should not be considered a violation of the establishment clause. The U.S. Supreme Court granted cert in Town of Greece v.…

Aug 6, 2013 10:39 AM CDT

Muslim woman taking bar exam endures miscommunication about her headwear

Corrected: As she was taking the Massachusetts Bar Exam on Thursday, a Muslim woman was handed a note by a proctor informing her that she would have to remove her hijab because prior written approval of religious headwear is required, the legal blog Above the Law reports. The unnamed woman,…

Aug 2, 2013 7:48 PM CDT

Woman jailed for extramarital sex after complaining of rape is pardoned, along with alleged attacker

A Norwegian woman who was stunned to be jailed for 16 months for having extramarital sex after complaining to authorities in Dubai that she had been raped has received a pardon. Marte Deborah Dalelv, who authorized public use of her name, told the Associated Press she is “overjoyed” to be…

Jul 23, 2013 5:15 PM CDT

Governor cites fireworks danger in vetoing bill intended to protect Christmas and Thanksgiving

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has vetoed a bill intended to protect Christmas and Thanksgiving, saying it goes too far in hamstringing local governments. The bill introduced by state representative Rick Brattin bars state and local government entities from banning or restricting “the practice, mention, celebration, or discussion of any federal…

Jul 3, 2013 11:30 AM CDT

Yoga class at public grade school is akin to dodgeball and not religious, judge says

A San Diego judge has rejected a challenge to yoga classes in Encinitas public schools, equating the classes to exercise programs like dodgeball. Judge John Meyer said yoga may be rooted in religion, but the classes in Encinitas are taught without references to Hinduism and they have a secular purpose,…

Jul 2, 2013 1:13 PM CDT

Churchgoers seek sanctions after ministers make mayhem

There was a time when bringing a lawsuit against a church was a concept that was incomprehensible to the average person. It was as far from likely as, say, a woman being on the U.S. Supreme Court or a gecko selling insurance. Yeah, right, that’ll happen. But we live in…

Jul 1, 2013 6:10 AM CDT

Man can challenge constitutionality of state’s ‘rain god’ license plate, 10th Circuit

An Oklahoma man can sue the state over its Indian ‘rain god’ license plate on First Amendment grounds, a federal appeals court has held. Keith Cressman, a Bethany pastor, claims that the license plate violates his religious rights as a Christian. U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton had dismissed the suit…

Jun 14, 2013 8:18 PM CDT

Along with political speech, many companies also claim they have religious liberty rights

Corporations, like individuals, have the right to engage in political speech, the U.S. Supreme Court said three years ago. The “corporate identity” of a speaker did not justify a reduced level of free speech protection, wrote Justice Anthony M. Kennedy in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. “No sufficient governmental…

Jun 1, 2013 8:30 AM CDT

Atheists will erect display next to Ten Commandments outside Florida courthouse

Atheists are getting equal time at a courthouse in Florida’s Bradford County. The American Atheists will erect a display near a Ten Commandments granite monument placed on the courthouse lawn by a Christian group, report the Raw Story, News4Jax.com and a press release. Bradford County agreed to allow the atheist…

May 30, 2013 2:13 PM CDT

Can children be protected from signs with photos of aborted fetuses? Protester seeks cert

An anti-abortion protester who displayed large pictures of aborted fetuses outside a Denver church during an outdoor Palm Sunday ceremony says he is protected by the First Amendment. A cert petition in the case is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, the New York Times reports. The appeal is a…

May 15, 2013 10:40 AM CDT