Here are some important law-and-religion news stories from around the web:
The Department of Homeland Security announced that it will implement a rule that eases the requirements for foreign religious workers in the United States.
In the European Court of Human Rights, the judge presiding over Tafzi El Hadri and El Edriss Mouch v. Spain held that Spanish courts did not violate the European Convention on Human Rights by failing to sanction a journalist who had written about Islamist indoctrination at a residential center for minors.
The J. Reuben Clark Law Society is hosting a Religious Liberty writing competition for law students in the United States. The competition provides an opportunity for second and third year law students to write scholarly papers on the topic of religious liberty under the United States Constitution. The submission deadline is January 31, 2026, and selection will take place by the middle of March. Details below:
Here are some important law-and-religion news stories from around the web:
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit against the state’s Higher Education Board claiming that the state’s work-study program’s requirement that work be provided in ‘nonsectarian activities’, violates the Free Exercise clause.
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal by a Christian school that argued that its free speech rights were violated when it was barred from playing a prayer over the loudspeaker at a football game.
In Pritchard v. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, the 9th Circuit remanded a suit alleging that Blue Cross is liable under the anti-discrimination portion of the Affordable Care Act for enforcing a religious-based exclusion regarding coverage of gender dysphoria.
The New York Times reports on a surge of interest among younger Americans, especially young men, in Orthodox Christianity.
In Jeanpierre v. Trump, a Utah district court dismissed a lawsuit by the founder of Black Flag, a religious organization, claiming that the President’s Executive order infringed his Free Exercise rights.
Here are some important law-and-religion news stories from around the web:
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to reconsider its 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage.
The Satanic Temple has been denied the opportunity to amend its Idaho abortion ban lawsuit.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a statement addressing their concern for the evolving situation impacting migrants in the United States.
The Supreme Court heard arguments in a religious rights case involving a Rastafarian man who is trying to sue Louisiana prison officials after they forcibly shaved his dreadlocks.
U.S. bishops announced this week that Catholic hospitals in the United States are expressly prohibited from performing transgender-related surgeries on individuals who identify as the opposite sex.
Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Elpidophoros became a naturalized U.S. citizen on November 10.
Here are some important law-and-religion news stories from around the web:
The Supreme Court of the United States is set to consider a petition in Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections regarding a Rastafarian inmate’s religious liberty claims after prison officials forcibly shaved his dreadlocks.
The Supreme Court is reviewing a petition by former Kentucky government official Kim Davis, who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples on religious grounds, seeking to overturn or limit Obergefell v. Hodges and assert free-exercise protections for public officials.
In January, the 5th Circuit is set to hear arguments about state laws in Texas and Louisiana requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms.
A federal district court in Connecticut has ruled against a public school teacher who requested a preliminary injunction from the court after she was barred from displaying a crucifix on her classroom wall.
The United States has designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern,” citing severe violations of religious freedom in the nation.
Pope Leo stated that the United States must respect the “spiritual rights” of detained migrants, suggesting that authorities allow pastoral workers to attend to their needs.
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The Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans secured near unanimous approval for a $230 million bankruptcy settlement. The settlement payout breaks down to $130 million in cash from the archdiocese and its affiliates, $20 million in promissory notes, $30 million from insurers, and up to $50 million from the sale of various property owned by the archdiocese.
A federal district court in California dismissed a Title VII religious discrimination claim by a DMV worker who objected to a Covid vaccine. The court held that the worker’s vague statements about bodily autonomy and God did not amount to a religious conviction.
A Texas state appeals court affirmed the dismissal of United Methodist Rio Conference Board of Trustees v. Alice First Methodist Church. This suit was brought by the United Methodist Church parent body in an effort to challenge attempts bylocal Texas congregations to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church. The Court held that dismissal was proper under the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine, which precludes courts from interpreting religious documents that dictate church governance.
A new report from Barna Group shows that Gen Z and Millennial Christians are not only attending church more frequently than in previous years but are also attending more often than Christians of older generations.
Last week, an HVAC technician filed a suit in New York alleging that his firing violated Title VII, after his employer stationed him with a female worker despite his accommodation request rooted in a sincerely held religious belief that he cannot be alone with women other than his wife.
In Catholic Charities v. Whitmer, Catholic counselors are challenging a Michigan law that banned them from helping children struggling with their biological sex.
In Armenia, multiple clergymen have been detained by the government for allegedly inciting violent coups, showcasing the continued government crackdown on the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Here are some important law-and-religion news stories from around the web:
After New York City dropped the case against a woman who assaulted a pro-life influencer, the legal nonprofit Thomas More Society has asked the DA to reconsider.
The Vatican has appointed a five-member panel of independent judges to oversee the canonical trial of Father Marko Rupnik, who faces allegations of sexual and psychological abuse involving consecrated women under his spiritual care.
Oklahoma’s new state superintendent has dropped the prior mandate requiring Bibles to be placed in public school classrooms and will not distribute them or enforce a biblical character curriculum.
Hispanic Christian leaders are endorsing the Republican-introduced “Dignity Act,” a bill that would protect certain undocumented immigrants from deportation without granting them a path to citizenship.
A federal judge has temporarily blocked key provisions of Texas’ new campus speech law, siding with Christian and other student groups who argued the law infringed their First Amendment rights.
A New Jersey jury has awarded $5 million in damages to a former student who alleged he was sexually abused decades ago by a monk at the elite Delbarton School.
After strong community pressure and protests, St. Demetrios Church in Astoria and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America reached a deal changing how the Archdiocese is involved in the parish, including removing a controversial clause and banning the sale of church or school property. This agreement protects the school, keeps the parish independent, and sets up a plan for managing money responsibly in the future.
Dallin H. Oaks, a former Utah Supreme Court justice, has been selected to lead The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints following the death of his 101-year-old predecessor, Russell M. Nelson.
California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed SB 509, a proposed law that would have required police to receive training on “transnational repression” (how foreign governments target people living in the U.S.) because he felt existing programs were sufficient and worried about federal coordination. The veto caused tension in the Indian-American community, with many Sikh Americans supporting the bill for protection against harassment, while many Hindu Americans opposed it, fearing it could unfairly target them.
The Catholic nonprofit Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) will publish its biennial “Religious Freedom in the World Report 2025” on October 21 in Rome, highlighting global trends in religious persecution and restrictions.
Israel and Hamas have reached the first stage of a cease-fire and hostage release agreement.
Pope Leo has urged United States bishops to defend and support immigrants in response to the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
Police arrested a man found with hundreds of explosives outside of a church holding a Mass in honor of the Supreme Court. Authorities allege he had written a manifesto expressing hostility toward the Court and ICE.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on whether to strike down state bans on conversion therapy.
Students and former students at Brooklyn yeshivas, as well as parents, filed a class action lawsuit claiming that New York allows yeshivas to meet state education requirements “without reliably teaching core subjects such as English, math and civics.”
An Illinois state appellate court held that the state’s Insurance Abortion Coverage Mandate did not violate a Baptist group’s rights under the Illinois Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The Court reasoned that since the group is neither required to provide insurance that is regulated by the Illinois Department of Insurance, or any insurance at all for that matter, nor subject to any tax or penalty for failing to provide this type of insurance, the regulation did not violate the group’s rights.
King Charles announced that he has approved the nomination of Bishop Sarah Mullally for election by the College of Canons of Canterbury Cathedral as Archbishop of Canterbury. Bishop Mullally would be the first woman to hold the position.
The FDA recently approved a generic version of the abortion pill, mifepristone. Conservatives objected to the move, including Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who called approval of the pill “a betrayal.”
