Religious Law

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

Parents Who Tried to Heal Daughter with Prayer Seek to Overturn Reckless Homicide Convictions

Lawyers for a Wisconsin couple asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court in oral arguments on Tuesday to overturn their convictions for an unsuccessful effort to heal their daughter with prayer. Dale and Leilani Neumann were convicted of second-degree reckless homicide in separate trials in 2009, report the Associated Press and MyFoxWausau.com.…

Dec 5, 2012 3:34 PM CST

Appeals Court Ousts Beard-Banning Judge in Case of Fort Hood Suspect

The military’s top court has removed the judge who ordered Fort Hood shooting suspect Nidal Hasan to shave his beard or be forcibly shaven. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces removed Col. Gregory Gross, the chief circuit judge at Fort Hood, from Hasan’s case on Monday, the…

Dec 4, 2012 1:17 PM CST

Atheists Opposing Religious Displays on Public Property Employ ‘Join ‘Em’ Strategy

Atheists who oppose Nativity scenes and other religious displays on public property are trying a new tack. The atheists are vying for equal time and space so they can post their own message, according to a column by Charles Haynes, director of the Religious Freedom Education Project at the Newseum…

Nov 30, 2012 12:00 PM CST

Judge Allows Teen to Avoid Prison with Mandate for 10 Years of Church Attendance

An Oklahoma judge is defending his decision to require a teen to attend church for 10 years as part of a deferred prison sentence for manslaughter in a fatal car crash. Judge Mike Norman told ABC News it’s not the first time he imposed such a requirement. “The Lord works…

Nov 20, 2012 12:40 PM CST

Ky. Supreme Court Upholds Convictions for Amish Who Say Orange Vehicle Symbols Violate Beliefs

A Kentucky law challenged by Amish community members, which requires orange safety symbols on horse-drawn buggies, was upheld Thursday, with the state supreme court finding the ordinance did not violate religious freedom. The opinion also upholds convictions for men who refused to place the safety symbols on their buggies, the…

Oct 26, 2012 4:51 PM CDT

Liberty Law Dean Says Gay Mom’s Racketeering Suit Against School Is Frivolous

Updated: A lesbian woman who won a court battle for custody of her daughter has filed a civil racketeering suit that accuses Liberty University School of Law of conspiring in the girl’s disappearance. The federal suit filed by Janet Jenkins in Burlington, Vt., alleges a conspiracy to kidnap the girl…

Oct 22, 2012 1:24 PM CDT

Temporary Injunction Allows Cheerleaders’ Bible Verse Banners

A Texas judge has issued a temporary injunction that permits cheerleaders in the small town of Kountze to display Bible verses on banners at football games. Judge Steven Thomas of Hardin County ordered (PDF) the injunction on Thursday and set a June trial date, report the New York Times and…

Oct 19, 2012 12:37 PM CDT

Pastor, Petitioners Decry Hobby Lobby Lawsuit Over Morning-After Pill Insurance Coverage Requirement

An Oklahoma pastor Thursday attempted to deliver petitions criticizing a federal lawsuit brought by Hobby Lobby, KFOR-TV reports. The arts and crafts retailer, which owns more than 500 stores, recently filed a suit challenging the portion of the new health care law that requires employers to include morning-after pills in…

Sep 27, 2012 7:10 PM CDT

Gay Man Sues Library of Congress, Alleging ‘Sex Stereotyping’ Discrimination

Peter TerVeer says he was an up-and-coming auditor for the Library of Congress’s inspector general’s office until his boss found out that he was gay. Then his boss started harassing him with religious-based homophobia and eventually got him fired, TerVeer claims in a federal lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed Aug. 3…

Aug 30, 2012 9:00 PM CDT

Judge Rules for Vatican in Suit Seeking Damages for Priest Molestation

A federal judge in Portland, Ore., has ruled for the Vatican in one of the first cases seeking to hold it liable for alleged molestation by a priest. U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman ruled the Vatican didn’t employ the priest and dismissed it as a defendant, the Oregonian reports. The…

Aug 21, 2012 11:29 AM CDT

Appeals Court Blocks Removal of Ten Commandments Monument From Courthouse Steps

A federal appeals court has blocked the removal of a Ten Commandments monument from the steps outside of a Florida courthouse for the time being. The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a ruling (PDF) Wednesday, sent the case back to a lower court for an evidentiary hearing…

Aug 17, 2012 7:36 PM CDT

4th Circuit Agrees to Hear Pregnancy Center Case En Banc

The Richmond, Va.-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to rehear en banc a case involving a law that requires anti-abortion pregnancy centers to post ads encouraging clients to consult with medical professionals. The court set a Dec. 6 oral argument date for the rehearing after a divided…

Aug 16, 2012 5:28 PM CDT

Catholic Professor Calls On Hotel Chains to Remove Access to Pornography from Rooms

Princeton University jurisprudence professor Robert P. George is calling on the CEOs of the five largest hotel chains to remove access to pornography from their hotel rooms. In his appeal, George, who is Catholic, is asking the CEOs to consider the harm that pornography does to everybody concerned, including those…

Aug 2, 2012 9:22 PM CDT

Denied Religious Exemption, Defendant in Fort Hood Shootings Must Shave Beard Before Court-Martial

An impasse between the Army psychiatrist facing capital charges in a fatal 2009 shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas, and the military judge who will preside over his court-martial has so far resulted in Maj. Nidal Hasan’s watching pretrial proceedings from closed-circuit television in a trailer outside the courtroom there.…

Jul 26, 2012 4:21 PM CDT