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

• On Tuesday, the Supreme Court unanimously held that Arkansas corrections officials had violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) by forbidding Muslim inmates to grow beards.
  • Opinion:  Eugene Volokh analyses how Christians have fared in comparison to non-Christians under RLUIPA and RFRA statutes.
  • Marc DeGirolami discusses the case here.
• The Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Reorganization.  According to church officials, the bankruptcy filing will “permit the Archdiocese to provide essential services required to continue its mission.”
• In response to a proposed state bill that would ban the wearing of hooded sweatshirts under certain conditions, some pastors in Oklahoma preached in hooded sweatshirts on the eve of Martin Luther King Day.
• According to preliminary plans, Pope Francis intends to visit Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and New York City during his September trip to the United States.
• A customer filed a civil rights complaint after a bakery in Colorado refused to write anti-gay words on a cake.  According to the customer, the bakery discriminated against him based on his creed.
• On Wednesday, California legislators unveiled the “End of Life Option Act,” which would allow doctors in California to prescribe a lethal dose of medication to terminally ill patients.
  • Legislators in Washington D.C. and Maryland are also in the process of introducing “Death with Dignity” laws.  Currently, physician-assisted suicide is permissible in only five states.
• Republicans in the House of Representatives canceled a vote on a bill banning abortions after twenty weeks of pregnancy, replacing it with a bill that prohibits federal funding for abortions.
• A Family Court in the United Kingdom has held that while male circumcision can be part of “reasonable parenting,” no form of female circumcision is acceptable.
• The Roman Catholic Church has reregistered its parishes in Crimea in accordance with Russian law.
• The Justice Ministry of Malta is in the process of reforming Malta’s blasphemy laws.  Under the current laws, it is a criminal offense to “publicly vilify” the Roman Catholic Church.
• On Wednesday in Davos, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair met with Jewish, Muslim and Christian leaders to discuss religious extremism and freedom of expression.