When the Supreme Court announced June 29 that it would not hear an appeal by federal death-row inmates challenging the method to be used in their upcoming executions, a longtime advocate against capital punishment said the court “abdicated its legal and moral responsibilities.” “This means that the federal government will likely execute four people” starting…Read More
In a 7-2 decision June 25, the Supreme Court said the Trump administration can deport some asylum-seekers without granting them a federal court hearing. The opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, said asylum-seekers on track for expedited removal from the U.S. are not entitled to seek habeas corpus — or the right to challenge government…Read More
A narrowly divided Supreme Court extended Thursday a life-support line to some 650,000 so-called DREAMers, allowing them to remain safe from deportation for now, while the Trump administration jumps through the administrative hoops that the court said are required before ending the program. The vote was 5-to-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts casting the decisive…Read More
President Trump on Tuesday said school choice is the civil rights issue of “all-time in this country.” Speaking to reporters while announcing an executive order on law enforcement reform, Trump said: “We’re fighting for school choice, which really is the civil rights [issue] of all-time in this country. Frankly, school choice is the civil rights…Read More
Last Friday, the Trump administration finalized a new rule to protect doctors’ right to object to abortion and “gender reassignment” operations. The rule clarifies that bans on sex-based discrimination do not include gender identity or abortion. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said that its final rule eliminates portions of a 2016 regulation…Read More
President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order “to advance international religious freedom,” after he visited the St John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, DC. The order calls religious freedom “a moral and national security imperative” and declares it “a foreign policy priority of the United States.” The order calls for “robust” engagement…Read More
By Nicole Gaudiano 05/19/2020 07:25 PM EDT Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said on Tuesday that she would “absolutely” work to provide funding for private schools in a new coronavirus relief package. Speaking on SiriusXM’s Catholic Channel radio station, she also said she hopes the Supreme Court will strike down so-called Blaine Amendments when it issues…Read More
White House officials told Fox News on Thursday that steps were taken to ensure Planned Parenthood is excluded from the Paycheck Protection Program, which was set up to provide coronavirus relief funds to small businesses. “Through the Paycheck Protection Program, President Trump is delivering vital relief to help small businesses keep employees on payroll,” a senior…Read More
Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) are urging Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf to exercise discretion and automatically extend the validity periods of critical documents for refugees and Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders approved for resettlement in the United States until COVID-19…Read More
The U.S. religious freedom ambassador on Thursday called on governments to release prisoners of conscience during the new coronavirus pandemic. “In this time of pandemic, religious prisoners should be released. We call on all governments around the world to do so,” Sam Brownback, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, said on April 2 during a…Read More