Tag Archives: Anti-Discrimination Laws

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June 16, 2020 By L&R Forum in Around the Web Tags: Abortion, Anti-Discrimination Laws, COVID-19, National Labor Relations Board., Satanists Leave a comment

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

• The Department of Health and Human Services adopted a rule rolling back healthcare anti-discrimination coverage in federally supported activities and programs.
• The U.S. State Department released its 2019 Report on International Religious Freedom.
• The National Labor Relations Board overruled a 2014 decision that had expanded NLRB jurisdiction over religiously-affiliated colleges.
• The U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected claims by a member of the Satanic Temple that Missouri’s informed consent abortion law violated her First Amendment rights.
• A Nevada federal district court upheld Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak’s COVID-19 order limiting worship services to no more than 50 people with social distancing.
• Suit was filed last week in a New York federal district court by two Catholic priests and three Orthodox Jews challenging limits on worship services imposed by  New York state and city COVID-19 orders.
• A lawsuit was filed last week in a Texas state trial court by an abortion rights group charging Right To Life East Texas and its director with defamation.

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October 17, 2019 By Anthony Nania in Around the Web Tags: Anti-Discrimination Laws, Health Care and Religion, Public Schools, Religion in Schools, RFRA Leave a comment

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

• A Texas federal district court ruled that the 2016 Department of Health and Human Services regulation that required doctors to perform procedures for gender transitions in violation of the doctors’ religious beliefs violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
• A newly proposed bill in Florida would require public school districts to offer elective courses relating to religion that must include “an objective study of the Bible.”
• The Freedom from Religion Foundation claims that a Christian mentoring program offered by a Kingsport, Tennessee elementary school is unconstitutional, arguing that the public school’s partnership with a local church should not be allowed.
• Several Australian state and territory “anti-discrimination commissions” are protesting the Coalition party’s religious discrimination bill, stating that the bill privileges religious rights over other rights and will cause “significant disruption and unintended consequences.”

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September 16, 2019 By Daniel Vitagliano in Around the Web Tags: Anti-Discrimination Laws, Clergy Sex Abuse, LGBT Rights, Public Schools, Religious Discrimination Leave a comment

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

• Barronelle Stutzman has petitioned the Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari after the Washington Supreme Court held that she discriminated on the basis of sexual orientation by refusing to provide custom floral arrangements for a same-sex wedding, citing her religious beliefs.
• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law a bill requiring New York public schools to observe a moment of silence at the beginning of the school day every September 11th in honor of those who lost their lives in the 9/11 terror attacks.
• A dozen leaders of a California-based ministry were arrested on charges that they used homeless people as forced labor, holding them in locked group homes and forcing them to panhandle up to nine hours a day, six days a week.
• Bishop Michael Hoeppner of Crookston (MN) will be investigated by Minneapolis’ Archbishop Bernard Hebda on charges that Hoeppner thwarted a police or canonical investigation of clerical sexual misconduct in his diocese.
• Ten new lawsuits alleging child abuse were filed against the Diocese of Brooklyn (NY), adding to the hundreds of cases that have mounted in the wake of the N.Y. Child Victim’s Act, which provides a one-year window for victims to file civil claims in connection to child abuse no matter the statute of limitations.
• Police in Egypt arrested sixteen suspected Muslim Brotherhood members for allegedly smuggling currency out of the country and plotting militant attacks.
• A recent study by the human resources company Paychex revealed that Colorado leads the nation in complaints based on religious discrimination.

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August 12, 2019 By Daniel Vitagliano in Around the Web Tags: Anti-Discrimination Laws, Establishment Clause, Israel, Religious Discrimination, Religious Symbols, Religious Violence, Terrorism Leave a comment

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

• The Third Circuit held that a Pennsylvania county’s seventy-year-old seal, which features a cross, does not violate the Establishment Clause, citing the recent Bladensburg Peace Cross case.
• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law a bill that bans employers from discriminating against workers for wearing religious garb or having facial hair.
• Islamic Jihad and the militant group Hamas threatened increased violence on Sunday after a day of riots on the Temple Mount, a major Jerusalem holy site, left four Israeli police officers and several Muslims and Jews injured.
• A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction that temporarily stops Anchorage (AK) officials from enforcing a nondiscrimination ordinance against the Downtown Hope Center, a faith-based women’s shelter, which allegedly failed to accommodate a man’s request to sleep there.
• A former sheriff’s deputy in North Carolina is suing over his firing, saying he lost his job because his religious beliefs prevented him from training a woman.
• Norwegian police are investigating a shooting at the Al-Noor Islamic Centre on Saturday as a possible act of terror.
• A fifty-seven-year-old man was killed Sunday morning during a shooting at West Ripley Church of Christ in northeast Mississippi.

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Around the Web

April 12, 2019 By Anthony Nania in Around the Web Tags: Abortion, Anti-Discrimination Laws, Hate Crimes, Non-Discrimination, Religion in China, Religious Exemptions, Religious Freedom Leave a comment

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

• New York declares a public health emergency, requiring vaccinations for those in Williamsburg Brooklyn, after months of fighting a measles outbreak in ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities.
• The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing on hate crimes and the rise of white nationalism this past Tuesday.
• The Satanic Temple in Missouri is appealing to the 8^th Circuit after challenging a state law requiring women seeking an abortion to wait three days, saying it violates the woman’s religious freedom.
• Following up on Monday’s story, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has opened an investigation into Yale Law School’s decision to extend its nondiscrimination policy to summer and postgraduate public interest fellowships.
• The Israeli civil rights organization Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center has negotiated a settlement with Airbnb to rescind its discriminatory policy redlining Jewish-owned properties in Judea and Samaria.
• Legislation strengthening protections for religious attire in the workplace is up for a vote in the New York State Senate.
• Democrats introduced legislation to end President Trump’s ban on travelers to the United States from five Muslim-majority countries known as the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Non-Immigrants (NO BAN) Act.
• The New Jersey attorney general has issued new guidelines for law enforcement in handling complaints, including an expanded definition of bias incidents amid a rise in bias crimes.
• The Australian government has announced a twelve-month inquiry into religious exemptions for anti-discrimination legislation and confirmed that a religious freedom bill will not surface before the election.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s victory in the parliamentary elections has continued to divide American Jews.
• The LAPD and the Nation of Islam will provide security at rapper Nipsey Hussle’s funeral at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
• The Chinese city of Guangzhou is offering $1500 to any Chinese citizen that reports illegal religious activities.
• Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg’s identity as gay and Christian has sparked conversation about the relationship between Christianity and politics after Buttigieg questioned the moral authority of evangelicals like Vice President Mike Pence.
• Massachusetts Governor Charles Baker signed a bill banning conversion therapy for minors, but the bill would not ban non-licensed or faith-based conversion therapy.

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Around the Web

March 29, 2019 By Anthony Nania in Around the Web Tags: Abortion, Anti-Discrimination Laws, Catholic Church, Establishment Clause, Establishment of Religion, Free Speech, Legislative Prayer, Marriage Rights, Religious Tolerance Leave a comment

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

• The U.S. Pastor Council dropped its challenge to an Austin, Texas anti-discrimination ordinance that offers employment protection based on sexual orientation and gender identity but does not include a religious exemption for churches.
• A district court in Ohio ruled that two pro-life activists have the right to protest outside an abortion clinic.
• Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill requiring universities to respect free speech on campus; its supporters claim it will stop discrimination against religious groups.
• The Northern Ireland Humanists are seeking to get rid of blasphemy laws, in opposition to those who believe blasphemy laws enshrine respect for religion.
• The Catholic Church in Scotland has rejected proposed anti-hate laws, contending that existing legislation is adequate and that the new laws would promote sectarianism.
• A Mississippi school superintendent says that a recent order requires that the school cannot display Bible verses or religious items on the walls, but teachers and students can wear clothing or jewelry expressing their religious beliefs.
• An Ohio town that opens meetings with a Christian prayer has been condemned by the Freedom from Religion Foundation, which calls the practice troubling.
• A JAG opinion that commanders can mention God at change of command and promotion ceremonies has been contested by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which has called for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to overrule the opinion.
• Virginia House of Representatives Stephanie Borowicz’s opening prayer at the legislative session Monday has garnered criticism from her Democratic and Muslim colleagues.
• An Idaho House bill calling for the recognition of “fundamental rights of Christians to practice their faith without persecution or fear of death, rape, imprisonment, forced marriage, or physical violence” did not receive enough votes to pass.
• Rockland County, New York announced a ban on minors unvaccinated for measles from entering public spaces in light of a measles outbreak that has been concentrated among segments of the Orthodox Jewish community.
• The Justice Department has filed a statement of interest in the Northern District of New York supporting the Christian Fellowship Center’s right to hold religious services at its property.
• Two Hindu minor girls who were allegedly abducted and forcibly converted to Islam can retain their religion, as Pakistan’s Hindu Marriage Act does not approve of marriage of Hindu girls under 18.
• The Dalai Lama has commended the leadership and determination of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in reforming national gun laws after the Christchurch mosque shooting.

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September 17, 2018 By Daniel Vitagliano in Around the Web Tags: Abortion, Anti-Discrimination Laws, Establishment Clause, Law and Religion, Vatican Leave a comment

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

• Pope Francis calls for a major global summit with Catholic bishops to discuss ways to prevent clergy sex abuse.
• A federal judge in Michigan denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the ACLU alleging the state is violating the Establishment Clause by permitting state-funded, faith-based adoption agencies to turn away same-sex couples.
• Sri Lanka’s government agrees to ban animal sacrifices at Hindu temples amid growing protests.
• Proposals for nationwide buffer zones around abortion clinics in the United Kingdom were rejected by the British Home Secretary.
• Pope Francis accepted the resignation of West Virginia Bishop Michael Bransfield after authorizing an investigation into allegations that Bransfield sexually harassed adults.
• The Vatican and China agree to sign a deal that includes Beijing’s first formal recognition of the pope as the head of the Catholic Church in China in exchange for Pope Francis recognizing seven excommunicated Chinese bishops appointed by the Communist government without Vatical approval.
• The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation elevating the stature of the special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism at the State Department.
• Cargill Meat Solutions has agreed to pay $1.5M to settle a dispute with 138 Somali-American Muslim workers who were fired after they were denied breaks for obligatory prayer.

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Around the Web

September 10, 2018 By Daniel Vitagliano in Around the Web Tags: Anti-Discrimination Laws, Catholic Church, Establishment Clause, Law and Religion, LGBT Rights, Religious Symbols Leave a comment

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

• A three-judge panel of the Eleventh Circuit affirmed a district court’s order to remove a decades-old Latin cross from a park in Pensacola, Florida, while calling for a rehearing en banc.
• The Third Circuit heard oral arguments Friday on whether Lehigh County’s seal, which features a cross, violates the Establishment Clause.
• The City of Phoenix defended its anti-discrimination law before the Arizona Supreme Court in a lawsuit brought by devout Christian owners of a wedding invitation business who intend to refuse to make custom products for same-sex couples.
• The Communist Party in China’s Xinjiang region escalates its crackdown on Islam, forcing more and more Muslims into internment camps—or, as the government calls them, “transformation-through-education” centers.
• Thousands or Argentinians began formal proceedings to renounce their religious affiliation to the Catholic church over the church’s opposition to efforts to legalize abortion.
• The Chilean Senate passed a bill that, if approved by the Chamber of Deputies, would permit minors as young as fourteen to legally change their name and gender.
• New York’s Attorney General’s Office issued subpoenas last week to all eight Catholic dioceses in the state as part of an investigation into how the dioceses handled sexual abuse cases.
• The Third Circuit affirmed a lower court’s decision that held a historic black Baptist church in Pittsburgh was free to dismiss a pastor without government involvement.
• India’s Supreme Court unanimously struck down a colonial-era law that criminalized homosexual acts.
• Argentine authorities raided the Antonio Provolo Institute, a Catholic-run school for deaf youth in Buenos Aires, as part of an investigation into sexual abuse allegations.
• A challenge to Indiana’s Charter School Act brought by a coalition of public school teachers and employees, which claimed the Act violated the Establishment Clause by permitting religious private schools to authorize charter schools, was dismissed for lack of standing.

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January 15, 2018 By Liam Ray in Around the Web Tags: Anti-Discrimination Laws, Christian-Muslim relations, Free Exercise Clause Leave a comment

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

• An order signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo that banned nonessential travel by government entities to Mississippi in retaliation against that state’s conscience protection laws has led Stony Brook University’s baseball team to cancel a series against a Mississippi university’s team.
• A Wisconsin school board will pay $800,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a transgender student who was told to use bathroom corresponding to the sex on the student’s birth certificate.
• The new U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands faced several questions about false claims he made in 2015 about alleged Muslim “no-go” zones in the country.
• The federal Bureau of Prisons has agreed to exempt chaplains who do not wish to carry pepper spray for self-defense for religious reasons from a requirement that they do so.

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January 11, 2018 By Liam Ray in Around the Web Tags: Amish, Anti-Discrimination Laws, Establishment Clause, Free Exercise Clause, Freedom of Conscience Leave a comment

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

• An Old Order Amish family has been ordered by a Pennsylvania court to connect their home to a public sewer system using an electrical apparatus that they claim violates their religious beliefs.
• A Nebraska state senator has proposed a bill that would eliminate a conscience opt-out for psychologists who object to providing certain services to gay couples and those seeking gender transition counseling.
• The ACLU has claimed in a letter to the Kentucky Department of Education that new Bible literacy classes being offered in public schools violate the Establishment Clause.
• An out-of-state secular advocacy organization has demanded that a New Mexico city remove a Ten Commandments monument that has stood on public land since the 1950s.
• The Supreme Court has denied review of two cases challenging a Mississippi law that prevents the state government from taking action against those acting according to certain religious beliefs concerning marriage and gender.

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