Here are some news stories involving law and religion from this past week:
- A number of the “Chibok girls” released by Boko Haram last month claim not to have been abused or raped while being held captive by the militants.
- Church leaders warned Australian state broadcaster ABC that its decision to cut much of its religious programming may violate its charter.
- An exiled Syrian Christian living in the UK began an initiative encouraging the Catholic Church to stay involved in Syria and the Middle East, despite falling numbers of Christians and widespread persecution.
- A Belgian jihadist who was released from U.S. custody in 2012 on health grounds at the urging of human rights groups has been identified as the organizer of terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels.
- A high school football team in Pennsylvania can no longer allow its coach to lead it in prayer after a complaint from the Freedom from Religion Foundation.
- A coalition including Catholic hospitals and nuns challenged a new regulation put forward by the Obama administration that requires doctors to perform gender transition procedures on children in certain circumstances.
- Voters in several states rejected referenda proposing to end the use of the death penalty.