Here are some important law-and-religion news stories from around the web:

• A pastor filed suit against the Jacksonville City Council, claiming that a council member violated the pastor’s free speech and free exercise rights by cutting the pastor’s microphone while the pastor delivered an invocation.
• The Vatican released a statement by the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Holy See’s tribunal handling absolution and confessional matters, which reiterated the obligation for priests to maintain confessional secrecy and avoid subjecting confession to legal exceptions.
• The Australian Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet released proposed legislation items for the winter parliament, including a religious discrimination bill that would “make it unlawful to discriminate against people on the ground of their religious belief.”
• A federal judge placed a hold on Tennessee’s new law that would prevent ministers ordained online from officiating weddings, stating the law contains “serious constitutional issues.”
• The Ramapough Lenape Nation reached a settlement with the Township of Mahwah, New Jersey regarding the Ramapough’s use of land for religious and cultural reasons; the Ramapough’s land use had prompted millions of dollars in fines and lawsuits, leading to the Ramapough suing the township federally for racial and religious discrimination.