Religious Law

Supreme Court’s contraceptive compromise might work, parties say

The U.S. government isn’t enthusiastic about the U.S. Supreme Court’s suggested compromise that would allow religiously affiliated nonprofits to opt out of contraceptive coverage for their employees. But the administration said in a new brief that it could accept the idea, provided certain conditions are met. The Supreme Court called…

Apr 14, 2016 10:56 AM CDT

10th Circuit reverses bigamy-law win for ‘Sister Wives’ family

After a Utah family and their plural marriages became the subject of a TLC reality television show in 2010, local authorities in Lehi opened an investigation to see whether the Sister Wives family should be prosecuted for violating the state’s bigamy law. Kody Brown and his four wives (one legal,…

Apr 13, 2016 3:25 PM CDT

Supreme Court issues ‘unusually extensive’ order for more briefing in contraceptive-coverage case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered parties to submit additional briefs in a case challenging the procedure to opt out of required contraceptive coverage for employees. The order seeks briefing on whether and how contraceptive coverage can be obtained by employees in a way that doesn’t involve the religiously…

Mar 30, 2016 7:18 AM CDT

Justices appear split in arguments on contraceptive-coverage opt-out

Justices on the U.S. Supreme Court appeared divided Wednesday as they considered the legality of an opt-out procedure for religiously affiliated organizations that don’t want to provide contraceptive insurance coverage for their employees. A 4-4 tie in the case, Zubik v. Burwell, “appeared to be a real possibility,” the New…

Mar 23, 2016 1:52 PM CDT

Supreme Court hears arguments today on religious objection to contraceptive-coverage opt out

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday on a challenge to the opt-out procedure offered to nonprofits with religious affiliations that allows them to avoid providing contraceptive coverage required by the Affordable Care Act. The death of Justice Antonin Scalia raises the possibility of a 4-4 split in…

Mar 23, 2016 7:34 AM CDT

Jury says towns dominated by polygamous sect put religion above the law; awards $2.2M to 6 people

After nearly two months of trial and three days of deliberation, on Monday a federal jury in Phoenix found that two adjacent towns dominated by a polygamous sect have violated the rights of nonbelievers living within their precincts. Discriminatory policing and provision of municipal services such as water hookups violated…

Mar 8, 2016 11:56 AM CST

Court should have granted cert in pro se prisoner’s religion case, Alito says

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. on Monday said he would have agreed to hear a pro se prisoner’s challenge to restrictions on practicing the Jewish religion. Alito dissented to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to deny cert in the case filed by North Carolina inmate Israel Ben-Levi, who says prison…

Feb 29, 2016 10:03 AM CST

How Scalia’s death could affect pending high-profile cases

The death of Justice Antonin Scalia on Saturday leaves the U.S. Supreme Court without a conservative majority and has the potential to affect several high-profile cases. Scalia’s absence has the potential to affect six big cases on the court’s docket, report the New York Times and USA Today. If there…

Feb 16, 2016 12:30 PM CST

State’s denial of funds for church playground will be considered by SCOTUS

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide the constitutionality of Missouri’s refusal to allow a church to participate in a grant program for safer playground surfaces. The U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari on Friday, report the Washington Post, USA Today and SCOTUSblog. Trinity Lutheran Church argues in its cert…

Jan 19, 2016 8:27 AM CST

Lawyer files suit seeking to remove ‘In God We Trust’ from US currency

A lawyer who previously fought without success to remove the words “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance has taken on a new constitutional battle over the rights of atheists. California attorney Michael Newdow filed a federal lawsuit Monday in Akron, Ohio, seeking to have the phrase “In God We…

Jan 13, 2016 4:55 PM CST

Texas governor opposes plan to deny CLE credit for program on Christian ethical perspectives

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is accusing the state bar of religious discrimination for a decision to deny continuing legal education credit to a program on faith and law. The State Bar of Texas notified St. Mary’s University School of Law in November that it would no longer give lawyers CLE…

Jan 8, 2016 7:13 AM CST

Court: Christians rejected as foster parents for spanking kids suffered no constitutional violation

A Christian couple who occasionally spanked their children as part of their faith were properly turned down in their bid to become foster parents, the top court in Massachusetts has ruled. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled on Monday that the substantial burden on couple’s religious beliefs was outweighed by…

Jan 5, 2016 9:12 AM CST

Catholic prep school broke state law by rescinding job offer to man in same-sex marriage, judge says

A Catholic prep school in Massachusetts violated the state’s anti-discrimination law when it rescinded a job offer to a man in a same-sex marriage, a judge has held. Superior Court Judge Douglas Wilkins granted summary judgment to the plaintiff on Dec. 16. Wilkins found that the religious exemption to the…

Dec 22, 2015 3:40 PM CST

Censure is recommended for apologetic judge who remarked on ‘temptresses’ who are ‘asking for it’

The Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct has recommended a public censure for a judge who apologized for inappropriate comments and said he has “quit going off script.” The commission made the recommendation after a disciplinary hearing on Thursday in the ethics case against Judge Timothy Dooley of Nome superior court,…

Dec 14, 2015 5:51 AM CST

Would SCOTUS uphold Trump’s plan to bar Muslim immigrants?

Donald Trump’s plan to ban Muslim immigrants would violate international law, but the U.S. Supreme Court would likely uphold it anyway, according to several legal experts. Others, however, believed the court could rely on the First and Fifth amendments to strike it down. Donald Trump’s plan—as clarified by him on…

Dec 9, 2015 8:46 AM CST