ABA Journal

Religious Law

589 ABA Journal Religious Law articles.

Do worker COVID-19 vaccine mandates have to offer religious exemptions? Courts differ; Breyer declines to act

Updated: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer on Tuesday refused to block a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for Maine health care workers that did not include an exemption for religious exemptions.

CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom had circulated proposed suit seeking to overturn election

The president and CEO of a conservative Christian legal group played a behind-the-scenes role in a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a bid to overturn…

6th Circuit rules for student athletes denied religious exemption from vaccine mandate

Sixteen student athletes at Western Michigan University who were denied a religious exemption from a vaccine mandate will likely succeed in their lawsuit, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Supreme Court will hear case of Christian group that wanted to fly its flag at Boston City Hall

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to decide the case of a Christian group claiming that the city of Boston violated the First Amendment when it refused a request to fly a Christian flag temporarily at the Boston City Hall.

The Supreme Court is in the building—contentious rulings behind, more major cases ahead

U.S. Supreme Court justices are hanging up their phones after a year and a half of teleconference arguments because of the pandemic and returning to the bench for the new term that begins Monday.

SCOTUS stays execution, agrees to hear request for pastor’s hands-on, out-loud prayer in death chamber

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday evening agreed to consider a Texas inmate’s request to have a Baptist pastor lay hands on him and pray out loud during his execution.

Mask mandate didn’t violate Catholic school’s religious freedom rights, 6th Circuit says

A federal appeals court on Monday upheld a federal judge’s refusal to block a mask mandate in a challenge brought by a Catholic elementary school in Lansing, Michigan.

Now that the COVID-19 vaccine has full approval from the FDA, how will employers respond?

There’s a sense that implementing mandatory vaccine policies could be difficult for employers—particularly when employees are not seeking religious or medical accommodations and instead fall into the “I don’t want to” group.

Cases challenging expired COVID-19 church restrictions fail in Supreme Court and 8th Circuit

A Maine church and Christian residents of a county in Missouri have failed in their lawsuits challenging COVID-19 restrictions that have since been lifted.

11th Circuit rules for Southern Poverty Law Center in defamation suit over hate group designation

A federal appeals court has affirmed dismissal of a conservative Christian group’s lawsuit alleging that the Southern Poverty Law Center defamed the church by designating it a hate group.

Web designer who offers wedding websites can be compelled to serve same-sex couples, 10th Circuit says

A Colorado anti-discrimination law can be used to compel a website designer who wants to create wedding websites to offer her services to people celebrating same-sex marriages, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.

5th Circuit allows chaplain prayers in Texas court during appeal of establishment clause ruling

A federal judge likely erred when he banned chaplain prayers in a Texas courtroom, a federal appeals court ruled earlier this month.

Federal judge’s confirmation hearing a reminder of the importance of No Religious Test Clause

Last month, the U.S. Senate confirmed Zahid Quraishi as the first Muslim American federal judge in U.S. history.

SCOTUS in review: Kavanaugh is the median; Barrett, consensus justices play ‘the long game’

What are the takeaways from the most recent U.S. Supreme Court term? Several Supreme Court journalists are answering that question in stories that look at split decisions and consensus, the likely median justice and the justices most to the right.

State ban on tuition assistance at religion-teaching schools to be reviewed by Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to consider the constitutionality of a Maine tuition assistance program that can’t be used at schools that teach religion.

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