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Religious Liberty Writing Competition for Students

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:

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Around the Web

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. 
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Around the Web

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.
Posted on by Mark Movsesian

Mattone Center Hosts ECtHR Judge

The Mattone Center was delighted to host Judge Ioannis Ktistakis of the European Court of Human Rights for lunch with St. John’s Law students this week. Judge Ktistakis, who was at the law school for a conference on state neutrality and religious freedom, spoke with the students about his legal career, the work of the European Court, and current issues in religious freedom in Europe. Thanks to the judge for joining us!

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Around the Web

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.  

Posted on by Mark Movsesian

Mattone Center to Host ICLARS Regional Conference This Weekend

This weekend at St. John’s Law, the Mattone Center will host a regional conference of the International Consortium for Law and Religion Studies (ICLARS), “Education, Religious Freedom, and State Neutrality.” The conference will gather scholars and judges from Europe and the United States. Papers from the conference will appear eventually here on the blog. From the start, the Mattone Center has had a special interest in comparative law and religion, and we’re delighted to continue the tradition in this way

I’ve attached an abbreviated conference program below.

ICLARS Program – St. John’s – AbbreviatedDownload
Posted on by Mark Movsesian

Mattone Center Reading Group Discusses Natural Law in C.S. Lewis

Last night, the Mattone Center Reading Group met to discuss natural law in C.S. Lewis’s “Mere Christianity.” Great turnout for an important topic. Thanks to all the St. John’s Law students who participated!

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Around the Web

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

  • 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.
  • The Texas Supreme Court added a new Comment to Canon 4 of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct which would allow judges to abstain from performing same-sex marriages because of their sincerely held religious beliefs.
  • 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.
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Around the Web

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

  • In Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. v. Wisconsin Labor and Industry Review Commission, the state filed a remedial brief arguing that the discrimination found to be unconstitutional in the case could be remedied by ending the exemption for all religious organizations or expanding it to cover Catholic Charities.
  • In Ruiz v. Nevada Department of Corrections, the 9th Circuit upheld the district court’s denial of request by a Messianic Jewish inmate for a special diet. 
  • 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.

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Around the Web

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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. 
  • 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.