This term, the Supreme Court will be revisiting the issue of whether states must fund religious schools, whether clergy members can say prayers during executions of inmates, and whether a state can ban abortion before viability. The following is a brief summary and analysis of the cases.
Articles
COVID-19 and Texas – Of Vaccines, Abortion, Privacy and Bodily Autonomy
Two major stories about what power the government has to control what happens inside a person’s body are making headlines this week. The Courts are Unlikely to Require Religious Accommodation When it Comes to Avoiding the COVID-19 Vaccine The Delta variant of COVID-19 has been wreaking havoc around the world – and part of the…
Why the “Shouting Fire in a Crowded Theater” trope should be retired
How the Supreme Court abandoned the “shouting fire in a crowded theater” trope and what it means in the Age of the Pandemic
Biden administration and Klobuchar bill to restrict freedom of speech online
Citing health and safety concerns, Minnesota Senator (and erstwhile presidential candidate) Amy Klobuchar introduced a bill on Thursday, July 22, 2021, dubbed “The Health Misinformation Act of 2021” that would hold tech companies responsible for allowing misinformation about vaccines and other health issues to spread online. In other words, if you say something about COVID-19 or vaccines or anything else that could be seen as “incorrect,” big tech would now have an obligation to censor you.
High Court hands Catholic Social Services narrowly drafted victory
The Supreme Court finds for a Catholic foster care service while sidestepping a larger free exercise of religion issue.
California agrees to stop enforcing restrictions on churches and to pay church attorney fees
After a year of litigation, the state of California is ordered to back down and pay the attorney fees of a church that had to defend its civil right to meet.
California lifts location and attendance limits on churches following Supreme Court ruling
Following Friday’s Supreme Court ruling, California has lifted restrictions on the number of attendees and location of religious services.
US Supreme Court overturns California restrictions on in-home Bible studies
In a decision released Friday night, April 9, 2021, the United States Supreme Court has blocked California’s COVID-19 restrictions on in-home religious gatherings.
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Workplace Religious Accommodation Cases
Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it would not be hearing two major workplace religious accommodation cases.
9th Circuit Refuses to Block California’s In-home Bible Study Restrictions
A 9th Circuit 3-judge panel has refused to block a California COVID-19 in-home Bible study restriction imposed by Governor Gavin Newsom.