Here are some important law-and-religion news stories from around the web:
- The Ninth Circuit upheld an injunction blocking enforcement of a California law that restricted employers from requiring employees to attend meetings concerning political or religious matters, holding that the law infringed employers’ free speech rights.
- A former Texas public school teacher sued his school district, alleging that evangelical Christian prayers at mandatory staff meetings violated the First Amendment.
- A Maryland federal district court declined to grant additional injunctive relief to a rabbi challenging a county firearms restriction that prevents him from carrying a gun while walking to synagogue on the Sabbath.
- A California appellate court rejected First Amendment challenges to the admission of evidence concerning Scientology’s teachings in the criminal trial of actor Danny Masterson.
- A Florida federal district court dismissed a pastor’s lawsuit challenging the denial of a property tax exemption for church property, holding that the Tax Injunction Act barred federal court intervention.
- A New York appellate court upheld penalties against a clothing retailer that refused to sell a bridal outfit for a same-sex wedding, rejecting the retailer’s First Amendment defense.
- A Michigan federal district court dismissed a former school bus driver’s lawsuit challenging her termination for distributing candy bearing religious messages to students, holding that her conduct was not protected private religious expression.