Some interesting law & religion stories from around the web this week:

• The Second Circuit ruled that a New York City Department of Education policy that prohibits church services in public schools is constitutional
• Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act
• The Syriac Orthodox Church has elected a new patriarch, Cyril Aphrem Karim, who takes the church’s leadership role at a time of great uncertainty for Christians in the Middle East
• A city board has given a Muslim group permission to remove six crosses from the roof and spires of a former Catholic church so it can be used as a mosque
• The Supreme Court declined to take up preliminary appeals brought by Roman Catholic nonprofit groups that want an exemption from the contraceptive mandate
• The United Kingdom’s Law Society is facing criticism for guidelines it issued on drafting wills in accordance with Islamic law
• Bruce Ackerman argues that human dignity is a constitutional principle at issue in gay marriage litigation
• In response, the Mirror of Justice blog questions Ackerman on the meaning of “dignity”
• Jay M. Harris reviews Halbertal’s Maimonides: Life and Thought, considering contemporary lessons from Judaism’s greatest sage