Religious Law

Cheerleaders’ Bible banners don’t violate establishment clause, judge rules

Bible-themed banners displayed by high-school cheerleaders do not violate the establishment clause, a Texas state judge has ruled. Judge Steven Thomas ruled on behalf of the Kountze High School cheerleaders on Wednesday, report the Associated Press, Reuters, the Houston Chronicle and a press release. The school district had banned the…

May 9, 2013 12:30 PM CDT

Does a prisoner have a right to a mohel? School’s new clinic takes on religious liberties case

A recently converted Jewish inmate denied permission to be circumcised is now being represented in his action against the prison by students working at the nation’s first and only clinic specializing in religious liberty cases. Launched in January, the Religious Liberty Clinic at Stanford Law School represents clients in disputes…

May 1, 2013 9:10 AM CDT

SCOTUS mulls mixed-motive retaliation; Scalia sees no need to ‘psychoanalyze Congress’ for intent

Supreme Court justices on Wednesday considered whether Congress intended to make retaliation cases more difficult to prove than other bias claims when it amended Title VII in 1991. A lawyer for Dr. Naiel Nassar argued that his client should win if he proved retaliation was a motivating factor when his…

Apr 25, 2013 1:41 PM CDT

Law prof is under fire for creating fake identity

An Emory law professor who was named one of America’s top 50 rabbis by Newsweek magazine is under fire after a news report said he used a fake identity to join a rival rabbinic group. The Jewish Channel reported that Rabbi Michael Broyde had used the name Hershel Goldwasser to…

Apr 17, 2013 11:10 AM CDT

Lawyer sued for ‘fake nun’ comment wins appellate ruling that court can’t decide religious issue

Updated: A Chicago-based federal appeals court has ruled on behalf of a lawyer seeking to prove the truth of his comment that a woman was a “fake nun.” Sued for defamation, Indiana lawyer Kevin McCarthy produced a statement by the Holy See’s diplomatic mission to the United States that the…

Apr 11, 2013 1:42 PM CDT

Letters: Islam, Women and the Law

ISLAM, WOMEN AND THE LAW Thank you for publishing Kristin Choo’s astonishingly excellent article “Walking the Tightrope,” February. I have rarely seen such an accurate, thorough and in-depth article when it comes to a discussion of Muslim women. I’m an American Muslim woman who earned her law degree before many…

Apr 1, 2013 9:50 AM CDT

Does pope retain legal immunity in retirement?

Will former Pope Benedict XVI lose legal protections because of his retirement in actions seeking to hold the Vatican accountable for failing to stop clergy abuse? The answer is no, according to Jeffrey Lena, a U.S. attorney for the Vatican. He maintains that Benedict would have the same legal immunity…

Mar 6, 2013 2:03 PM CST

Coyote Ugly retaliation claims can go forward; keeping client meetings under control

Technology & Marketing Law Blog and the Delaware Employment Law Blog took note of a couple of retaliation claims against defendant Coyote Ugly (“that’s right—the one from the movie, where hot bartenders dance on the bar,” Delaware employment lawyer Molly DiBianca writes) that survived summary judgment. The underlying suit is…

Feb 22, 2013 3:05 PM CST

Suit claims grade school yoga classes are inherently religious

A suit filed Wednesday in San Diego superior court claims grade school yoga classes are inherently religious and a violation of the California Constitution. The suit, filed on behalf of a couple with students in the district, claims the classes in Encinitas schools violate state constitutional provisions regarding religious freedom…

Feb 21, 2013 12:33 PM CST

Inmates’ quest for paid Wiccan chaplain is resurrected by 9th Circuit

A federal appeals court has ruled that female inmates may pursue their claim that California prison officials violated the Constitution by refusing to hire a full-time Wiccan chaplain. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that a current and a former inmate had made out a…

Feb 21, 2013 11:30 AM CST

Surprise resignation of Pope Benedict XVI makes canon law a hot topic

The surprise news that Pope Benedict XVI plans to resign at the end of the month sets the stage for the first election of a new pope in nearly 600 years under circumstances in which the former pope is still around to participate. However, the pope, because he is 85…

Feb 11, 2013 5:59 PM CST

Muslim women lawyers aim to reconcile traditional beliefs with secular society

On a sweltering day in mid-July, Azizah al-Hibri, founder and chair of Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, presided over the graduation ceremony for the group’s 2012 Law and Leadership Summer Program. It was a festive occasion, held in the elegant drawing room of Karamah’s offices in Washington, D.C.,…

Feb 1, 2013 11:09 AM CST

Mandated contraception coverage is a matter of ‘fierce controversy’ in courts

More than 45 lawsuits are challenging a mandate for employer-provided contraception coverage in the Obama administration’s health care law, resulting in a mix of rulings. The requirement is a matter of “fierce controversy” that appears headed to the U.S. Supreme Court, the New York Times reports. The law requires employer…

Jan 30, 2013 11:30 AM CST

Parental Consent OK for Ritual Circumcision, District Judge Rules

A federal judge in Manhattan has refused to block a New York City regulation that requires parental consent for a ritual form of circumcision that health officials say can put babies at risk of potentially fatal infection. Plaintiffs challenging the regulation sought an injunction against the change in the city’s…

Jan 11, 2013 3:45 PM CST

Orthodox Groups Contend Required Consent Form in Ritual Circumcision Is Free Speech Violation

Orthodox Jewish groups are challenging a New York regulation requiring those who perform ritual circumcisions to present parents with a consent form. Lawyer Shay Dvoretzky told a federal judge on Tuesday that the regulation requires the mohelim performing the circumcisions to convey the city’s perspective, the New York Times reports.…

Dec 19, 2012 1:24 PM CST