Last Friday a federal judge in Wisconsin issued a ruling that a federal statute that exempts housing for members of the clergy from taxation violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Author: Michael Peabody
US House votes to defund IRS investigations of church political endorsements
[dc]Y[/dc]esterday, by a margin of 211 to 198, the U.S. House of Representatives quietly voted to defund IRS investigations of church political endorsements as part of a massive spending bill. On the bottom of page 21 of the text of the 2018 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill, the drafters included the following language: SEC….
Life as One Piece: The Legacy of Dr. Charles Teel
His passion in the classroom was the minor prophets – particularly the biblical books of Amos and Micah. He spoke of justice, and mercy and humility, and how being “religious” did not mean anything if you didn’t “defend the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.” (Deuteronomy 10:18)
States prohibiting all non-public school funding may escape Trinity Lutheran impact
States that have constitutional provisions that prohibit public aid to all private schools, regardless of whether or not they are religiously affiliated, might have a substantial argument against school voucher claims under Trinity Lutheran v. Comer.
Supreme Court asks lower courts to apply Trinity reasoning to school voucher cases
Supreme Court sends voucher cases back to the lower courts “for further consideration in light of Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc., v. Comer.”
Supreme Court: State must include church in public funding scheme
The Supreme Court decision in Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer changes 200 years of Establishment Clause precedent and puts churches at risk of regulation.
Blessed are the Peacemakers: Why Adventist Clergy Stay Away from Partisan Politics
By Michael D. Peabody, Esq. [dc]I[/dc]n a study released June 11, 2017, researchers from Yale and Harvard concluded that Seventh-day Adventist clergy in the United States are the most evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to politics. The study also found that nearly half were not registered to either party….
Court may hear same-sex wedding cake religious exception case
There are several reasons why the Supreme Court may decide to hear this case when it declined to hear previous religious exception cases.
Court: Religious hospitals not subject to Federal pension protections
The pensions of employees of church-affiliated organizations are not subject to federal solvency requirements that apply to secular organizations
Kentucky Appeals Court upholds free speech rights of Christian printer in narrow opinion
In a narrowly drafted opinion, the Kentucky Court of Appeals has ruled that the government could not compel a Christian printer to promote messages that violated his religious beliefs.