To resolve a lawsuit that Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed on behalf of Catholic Charities West Michigan, state officials have agreed the child welfare provider can care for children according to its religious beliefs without government punishment. As part of a stipulated court order and judgment, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services conceded…Read More
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in a case which raises questions about religious freedom and separation of Church and state. The case, Carson v Makin, involves school choice in Maine which is tied to state-funded tuition aid in settings where public schools are not available. The key question is whether families who…Read More
Attorneys representing a Maine family at the Supreme Court are feeling confident following Wednesday’s oral arguments in the case Carson v. Makin. The case asks whether a state – such as Maine – breaches the free exercise clause or equal protection clause of the First Amendment by barring students in a student-aid program from using…Read More
In addition to a major abortion case, the Supreme Court this fall will consider cases on vocal prayer at executions and state tuition assistance for religious schools, and could decide take up other religious freedom cases. Although the court usually decides death penalty cases on the “emergency docket” – reserved for urgent petitions outside the…Read More
The dioceses of Albany and Ogdensburg and other Catholic and Christian ministries last week asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case against New York’s abortion coverage mandate. The 2017 mandate from the state’s Department of Financial Services required that employers cover abortions in their employee health insurance plans. While the state granted a…Read More
A Supreme Court order issued Friday reiterated that houses of worship in the State of California are free to gather at 25% capacity. The unsigned order spoke for the majority, with Justices Elena Kagan, Stephen Breyer, and Sonia Sotomayor dissenting. The news comes days after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals opted to allow California’s…Read More
An effort to restore strong religious freedom protections in Iowa has the backing of the state Catholic conference and others who say there should be a high threshold for any state interference with the free exercise of religion. While the legislation does not mention LGBT issues, LGBT advocates have tried to portray it as harmful…Read More
Legislation that would protect places of worship from government-ordered closures during a pandemic has advanced from a state House committee. House Bill 2648, by Rep. Jon Echols, states that any “order or rule issued by any governmental entity pursuant to an emergency that requires closure of any place of worship” shall be considered “a substantial…Read More
An appeals court last week ruled for a second time against a California church which challenged the state’s rules barring in-person worship services for much of the state, deciding that a total ban on indoor worship services in most areas of the state is justified to block the spread of coronavirus. The same court ruled…Read More