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

  • The 9th Circuit rejected claims that a fire department in Washington State violated Title VII and state law when they refused to accommodate employees’ request for religious exemptions from the state’s Covid vaccine mandate for all healthcare providers.
  • The 6th Circuit affirmed the dismissal of claims that an Ohio school’s policy on the use of communal bathrooms by transgender students violated the free exercise rights of Muslim and Christian students and parents.
  • Two families field suit in a Massachusetts federal district court challenging a policy of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families that would require foster parents to agree to “support, respect, and affirm the foster child’s sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.” The families assert that the policy unconstitutionally forces them to “speak against their core religious beliefs,” regulates speech based on content and viewpoint, and is discriminatory towards religious persons.
  • A California federal district court granted summary judgment to a Jehovah’s Witness who wished to attach an Addendum to the oath she was required to take as an employee of the State Controller’s Office, as she believed the oath, as currently written, violated her religious beliefs.
  • A New Mexico federal district court held that two members of a healthcare sharing ministry have standing to challenge an order barring them from operating in the state on free exercise grounds.
  • Senate Bill 11, passed by the Texas legislature in May 2025, establishes a structure that school districts may adopt to provide a daily prayer service and reading of the Bible/other religious text in school with parental consent. The bill took effect on September 1st, and Texas AG Ken Paxton promptly issued a press release in which he “encourages children to begin with the Lord’s Prayer[.]”
  • Following the tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Jason Adkins, the executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, appeared on “EWTN News In Depth,” where he called out state lawmakers for ignoring the pleas of Minnesota Catholic leaders for security funding for local nonpublic schools.

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Around the Web

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

  • A federal district judge ruled in Loe v. Jett that colleges that require students to sign statements of faith cannot be excluded from a state funding program. 
  • The Department of Health and Human Services is exerting more pressure on the state of West Virginia to recognize religious exemptions regarding the state public school system’s vaccine requirements. 
  • In Miller v. Civil Rights Division, a petition for certiorari was filed in the case regarding California’s anti-discrimination provisions. 
  • A teacher at a Connecticut school remains suspended from teaching for refusing to hide her crucifix in the classroom, sparking a legal battle. 
  • In New Jersey, a town has abandoned construction plans, which would have required seizing church property through eminent domain. 
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Around the Web

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

  • The West Virginia Board of Education has taken its challenge to the state Supreme Court after a lower court upheld a religious exemption to mandatory school immunizations. The outcome could shape how courts balance public health mandates against religious objections.
  • A federal district judge has issued a preliminary injunction stopping a new Texas law that would require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, citing concerns over religious coercion and constitutional violations.
  • The Ninth Circuit has paused the sale of the Oak Flat sacred site in Arizona, a location of religious significance to Indigenous groups. The court’s emergency action underscores the tension between cultural heritage and resource development.
  • A Connecticut public school teacher remains barred from the classroom after refusing to remove a crucifix. She argues that her First Amendment rights are being violated, particularly in light of recent favorable rulings regarding religious expression by educators.
  • A proposed Texas Senate bill aims to restrict access to abortion pills and amend the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Critics argue the changes could undermine religious protections, especially for groups that advocate for reproductive rights.
  • A compelling study by Mariam Wahba at The Free Press details how Egypt is imposing strict controls on what is widely considered the world’s oldest Christian monastery. The author explores legal and political maneuvers that threaten the monastery’s autonomy and deeply rooted religious heritage.
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Around the Web

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

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Around the Web

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

  • A proposed bill would safeguard the citizenship of any American pope and exempt him from taxes while serving. 
  • A federal judge allowed a psychedelic mushroom-using religious group’s lawsuit against Provo City and Utah County to proceed and paused the criminal case against its founder. 
  • A federal district judge blocked an Arkansas law mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms. 
  • In Jumilla, Spain, a new law bans the use of city sports facilities for cultural, social, or religious activities not organized by the City Council. 
  • The Trump administration has released new guidelines reminding federal agencies that religious expression in the workplace is protected.  
  • The Chinese Communist Party announced new restrictions on religious practice by foreigners in mainland China. 
  • President Trump issued an executive order requiring banks to prevent and address politicized or unlawful debanking based on customers’ political or religious beliefs or lawful business activities. 

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

  • In Frankel v. Regents of the University of California, the federal government and University of California reached a settlement regarding Anti-Semitism charges.
  • In Jordan v. Rubio, a D.C. federal district court found that the State Department violated RFRA by denying the plaintiff a passport when she refused to provide a birth certificate for religious reasons.
  • In United States v. Safehouse, the 3rd Circuit held that RFRA and the Free Exercise clause apply to corporate entities that exercise religion. 
  • In Kane v. City of New York, petition for certiorari was filed where the 2nd Circuit affirmed denial of religious exemptions for Covid vaccine mandates on public school staff. 
  • Two state tuition assistance programs in Virginia have denied grants to various students pursuing educational programs based on religious training.
  • In Washington, a federal court blocked a law that would require priests to face jail time or break the “seal of confession” regarding reports of abuse. 
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Here are some important law-and-religion news stories from around the web:

  • In United States v. Safehouse, the Third Circuit heard arguments on whether a nonprofit aiming to open a safe injection site can invoke religious protections under the Free Exercise Clause or RFRA, after a lower court ruled that the founders’ religious motivations alone do not shield the group from federal drug laws.
  • In Mennonite Church USA v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a D.C. federal court declined to issue a preliminary injunction to reinstate DHS’s “sensitive locations” policy, holding that the plaintiff religious organizations lacked standing to challenge its rescission based on speculative risks of enforcement at places of worship, decreased attendance, restricted services, and added security costs.
  • In Catholic Benefits Association v. Lucas, a North Dakota federal court issued a permanent injunction shielding a Catholic diocese and employers’ group from EEOC enforcement of federal anti-discrimination rules in ways that would compel them to support or accommodate abortion, fertility treatments, or gender transitions contrary to their religious beliefs.
  • In Kynwulf v. Corcoran, an Ohio federal court dismissed a Free Exercise claim challenging Medicaid’s estate recovery rules, holding that the plaintiff was not coerced into participation and could not demand that the state tailor its program to his religious beliefs.
  • In People of the State of California v. Calvary Chapel San Jose, a California appellate court upheld over $1.2 million in fines against the church for violating Covid-era health orders, rejecting its Free Exercise and due process claims by finding the mandates neutral and generally applicable.
  • West Virginia signed a new law, the Parents’ Bill of Rights, granting parents wide-ranging authority over their children’s education, healthcare, and moral upbringing, with state interference allowed only under a compelling interest and narrowly tailored means. 
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Here are some important law-and-religion news stories from around the web:

  • In Anchor Stone Christian Church v. City of Santa Ana, a federal district court in California issued an injunction allowing a church to renovate an office building it acquired. The court held that the city’s denial of a conditional use permit to the church violated RLUIPA and the Free Exercise clause. 
  • An international human rights lawyer urged President Trump to fulfill his campaign promise of facilitating an agreement for the release of Christian Armenian POW’s in Azerbaijan.
  • The Georgia legislature passed the Georgia Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which requires that substantial burdens on the exercise of religion be justified by a compelling interest. A clause was added stating that “granting government funding, benefits, or exemptions” would not violate the act.
  • Kansas governor Laura Kelly vetoed a House Bill which, if passed, would ensure religious liberty for prospective foster families. The bill was designed to prohibit the state from requiring families to accept certain ideological policies which may conflict with their religious beliefs.
  • A federal district court held that two Jewish groups can pursue equal protection and free exercise claims against the University of California, Berkeley, regarding antisemitic treatment.
  • India’s parliament passed a new bill that amends the laws governing Muslim land endowments, allowing non-Muslims to manage the properties (known as waqfs).

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

  • Yeshiva University recently settled a protracted lawsuit with a student-led LGBT group by granting it formal recognition as a student organization, allowing it access to campus facilities and university funding. The lawsuit arose from the school’s refusal to recognize the group on religious grounds, whereas the group claimed such a refusal violated New York antidiscrimination statutes.
  • The state legislature of Kentucky recently passed a joint resolution directing the return of a monument displaying the Ten Commandments to the state’s Capitol Grounds. Temporarily removed during the 1980s due to construction, its return was enjoined by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, citing the now-defunct Lemon test as rendering the monument violative of the Establishment Clause. In light of recent Supreme Court jurisprudence declaring the Lemon test overruled, the state legislature voted to reinstate the monument.
  • A Catholic diocese and a Christian pregnancy center filed suit against the State of Illinois, challenging recent amendments to the Illinois Human Rights Act that prevents discrimination against employees based on their reproductive health choices. The plaintiffs allege that the amendments burden their Free Exercise rights by preventing them from making faith-based employment decisions, and coercing them to associate with individuals whose actions undermine their staunchly pro-life mission.
  • The Kansas state House of Representatives issued a condemnation against a “Black Mass” to take place on the state capitol grounds, citing its clear anti-Catholic animus and blatant disrespect to Christianity. The procession involves the use of a consecrated Catholic host, viewed as a clear mockery and distortion of the Catholic Eucharist, and an alleged affront against the religious sensibilities of “all people of good will.”
  • A New York federal district court ruled that a gender support plan that involved hiding a students social gender transition from her parents did not violate the Free Exercise or Due Process rights of her parents. The Court held that the plaintiff was free to exercise her religious and parental rights over her daughter in the household, and that a school policy that existed for the voluntary benefit of students does not endorse a religious message.
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Here are some important law-and-religion news stories from around the web:

  • In Royce v. Pan, a California federal court upheld the state’s repeal of the “personal belief” exemption from school vaccination requirements, rejecting claims that the law was hostile to religion. The court found that the law was neutral and generally applicable, and that the removal of the exemption did not unfairly target religious practices.
  • In Shash v. City of Pueblo, a Colorado district court rejected a Native American plaintiff’s RLUIPA and free-exercise claims after he was arrested for DUI, as he objected to a blood alcohol test on religious grounds. The court found that RLUIPA did not apply because the plaintiff was not confined to a qualifying institution, and dismissed the First Amendment claim on qualified immunity grounds, noting there was no evidence that the officers were aware of his religious beliefs or intentionally burdened his exercise of religion.
  • In Atlantic Korean American Presbytery v. Shalom Presbyterian Church of Washington, Inc., a Virginia appellate court dismissed a church property dispute, invoking the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine, which bars civil courts from intervening in religious matters. The court ruled that Shalom Presbyterian Church’s decision to seek civil court relief after previously submitting to the Presbyterian Church Synod’s authority amounted to a collateral attack on the Synod’s decision, violating constitutional principles of religious freedom.
  • Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon recently signed HB 0207, establishing the Wyoming Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which mandates strict scrutiny of state actions that significantly burden a person’s religious exercise. Wyoming becomes the 29th state to adopt such a law.
  • Georgetown University argues that the government cannot control its DEI curriculum, citing the First Amendment and its Jesuit mission. This raises the question of whether religious freedom could protect religiously affiliated institutions from attacks on DEI practices, as faith-based colleges often defend their right to make decisions based on their religious tenets.
  • The U.S. Acting Solicitor General filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to overturn an Oklahoma ruling that a Catholic-sponsored charter school violated the state constitution and the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. The brief argues that the Free Exercise Clause prohibits excluding the religious school, noting that charter schools do not perform functions exclusively reserved to the state, and thus are not subject to the same constitutional constraints as government-run institutions.
    • Stay tuned for our Symposium on this case!