Refiled lawsuit challenges justice of the peace’s courtroom prayer program

The Freedom from Religion Foundation has refiled a lawsuit against a Texas justice of the peace who solicits chaplains to lead a courtroom prayer service. The suit was filed Wednesday against Judge Wayne Mack in his personal and official capacities after a federal judge ruled in September that the foundation…

May 30, 2019 12:14 PM CDT

Multistate suit challenges federal ‘conscience’ rule over health care refusals on religious grounds

The state of New York is leading a coalition of 23 state and local governments in a lawsuit challenging a federal “conscience” rule that expands the ability of businesses and individuals to refuse to provide medical services on religious or moral grounds. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, says the final rule,…

May 22, 2019 3:47 PM CDT

Unvaccinated teen who sued over ban from school contracted chickenpox; his appeal is still pending

A Kentucky teen banned from his high school because he didn’t get vaccinated for chickenpox can return to the classroom, but the reason doesn’t stem from his religious freedom case. Jerome Kunkel, 18, can return to class because he contracted chickenpox, he won’t be contagious and he has immunity, his…

May 10, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Nondiscrimination policy at Yale Law School is legal but perhaps should be changed, lawyers say

May 1, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Catholic foster care agency loses fight over refusing to place kids with same-sex couples

A federal appeals court ruled Monday that the city of Philadelphia can sever its contract with a Catholic foster care agency that refuses to place children with same-sex couples. In its opinion, a three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Philadelphia held that Catholic Social Services’…

Apr 23, 2019 11:02 AM CDT

SCOTUS blocks execution of man denied Buddhist adviser; decision was different in Muslim case

On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the execution of a Texas inmate who wasn’t allowed to bring his Buddhist spiritual adviser into the execution chamber with him.

Mar 29, 2019 9:30 AM CDT

Unvaccinated teen’s suit claims classroom ban violates his religious rights

An unvaccinated Kentucky teen barred from playing in a basketball playoff during a chickenpox outbreak and then banned from the classroom has filed a suit claiming a violation of his religious rights. The 18-year-old Catholic high school senior, Jerome Kunkel, claims a First Amendment violation in a suit filed with…

Mar 21, 2019 7:30 AM CDT

Kavanaugh questions exclusion of churches from historic preservation funds

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh said in a statement Monday that banning religious organizations from a historic preservation program amounts to "pure discrimination against religion."

Mar 4, 2019 10:02 AM CST

Chemerinsky: Do religious symbols on government property infringe on First Amendment?

The Supreme Court has a chance to clarify whether symbols of religion on government property violate the First Amendment. The establishment clause has returned to the court in American Legion v. American Humanist Association, to be argued Feb. 27.

Feb 26, 2019 6:00 AM CST

How do Catholic Church lawyers determine the credibility of sex assault allegations?

We need to examine the role of Catholic Church attorneys in determining the credibility of sexual assault accusations, says former Maritime Administration Chief Counsel K. Denise Rucker Krepp.

Feb 11, 2019 6:30 AM CST

SCOTUS allows execution of Muslim prisoner to go forward without his imam present in 5-4 decision

Updated: The U.S. Supreme Court granted a request on Thursday night by the Alabama Office of the Attorney General to let it proceed with the execution of a Muslim inmate who won a stay Wednesday after he claimed that the prison violated his religious rights by refusing to allow his…

Feb 7, 2019 1:15 PM CST

In praying football coach case, 4 SCOTUS justices criticize 9th Circuit’s ‘highly tendentious’ reading of precedent

Four Supreme Court justices on Tuesday expressed concern about an appellate court’s views on teachers’ religious rights in the case of a praying football coach. The justices said in a statement they agreed with the decision to deny certiorari because of unresolved factual questions in the case of Joseph A.…

Jan 22, 2019 12:09 PM CST

Several states pass laws authorizing ‘In God We Trust’ motto in schools and other public buildings

Public schools could provide a new legal battleground on religion in public venues as more states pass laws authorizing the posting of “In God We Trust” in public schools. Seven states passed laws this year requiring or permitting schools and other public buildings to post “In God We Trust, the…

Dec 5, 2018 7:15 AM CST

Does Peace Cross memorial on government land violate establishment clause?

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to decide whether a government-maintained monument known as the Peace Cross violates the establishment clause. The court agreed to consider two consolidated cases challenging the Peace Cross, a 40-foot monument built in 1925 in Bladensburg, Maryland, to honor soldiers who died during World…

Nov 5, 2018 12:25 PM CST

Supreme Court is asked to rule Oregon bakers had a right to refuse to make cake for same-sex wedding

The former owners of an Oregon bakery are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to accept their appeal and decide that they had a First Amendment right to refuse to bake a custom cake for a same-sex wedding.

Oct 23, 2018 4:20 PM CDT