Here are some important law-and-religion news stories from around the web:
- China has passed new religious regulations aimed at curbing extremism, although observers fear they could be used to exert tighter control over the practice of religion generally.
- The High Court of Australia has unanimously upheld the Australian government’s decision to appropriate money to hold a national plebiscite on the question of whether same-sex marriage should be legalized.
- In a new book based on a series of interviews, Pope Francis reiterated his beliefs that marriage can only be between a man and a woman and that children should not be taught that they can choose their gender.
- A lesbian former Hasidic Jewish woman has regained custody of her children after a court ruled that a “religious upbringing” clause in the custody agreement with her ex-husband could not trump her “due-process right to express [herself] freely.”
- The Justice Department has filed a brief in support of a Christian baker who refused to make a wedding cake to celebrate the marriage of a same-sex couple.
- A panel of three Ninth Circuit judges has upheld a trial court judge’s decision to narrow the scope of the Trump Administration’s travel ban.