Eighth Circuit Orders Minnesota Prison to Reinstate Bible-Based Masculinity Program Pending Trial
On August 14, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed a Minnesota federal judge’s denial of a preliminary injunction and ordered the Minnesota Department of Corrections (MDOC) to reinstate the “Quest for Authentic Manhood” program at the Minnesota Correctional Facility–St. Cloud, pending full resolution of the case. What This Means (Plain […]
Read More“Declaring Bankruptcy” in the Temple: Broken Tables, Roman Law, and the Church–State Ledger
The Gospel accounts of Jesus cleansing the temple are often read as a burst of righteous anger, a prophet’s visceral response to commerce crowding out prayer. That reading is not wrong, but it is incomplete. A legal and economic lens clarifies the moment. When Jesus scatters coins and overturns tables, he is not staging a […]
Read MoreFree Exercise Rights Are Expanding — and the Establishment Clause Is Cracking
The 1990 Smith decision curtailed religious liberty claims, but later rulings have expanded the Free Exercise Clause beyond its original scope When the Supreme Court decided Employment Division v. Smith in 1990, it marked one of the sharpest contractions of the Free Exercise Clause in American history. Writing for the majority, Justice Antonin Scalia held […]
Read MoreThe Law on the Wall, the Cross in the Heart
By Michael Peabody Don’t settle for stone when you’ve been given a Savior. The push to post the Ten Commandments in every classroom doesn’t come from a place of malice. It comes from people who care. I know some of them. They pray over their schools. They weep for their children. They see the confusion, […]
Read MoreThe Double Edge of Religious Liberty: How the “Most Favored Nation” Theory Cuts Both Ways
What a Trade Principle Is Doing in Church-State Law—and Why It’s Creating New Legal Tensions In recent years, a once-obscure idea has quietly reshaped the legal landscape of religious liberty. Known as the “most favored nation” (MFN) theory, this concept has become a central part of how courts determine whether the government is treating religious […]
Read MoreFederal Judge Blocks Arkansas Law Requiring Ten Commandments in Public Classrooms
Ruling cites “clear constitutional violation” as state plans further appeal In a decision issued August 4, 2025, a federal judge blocked enforcement of Arkansas Act 573, a new law requiring every public school classroom in the state to prominently display the Ten Commandments. The ruling granted a preliminary injunction requested by a coalition of parents […]
Read MoreFederal Judge Halts Utah Psilocybin Prosecution in Landmark Religious Freedom Case
Ruling denies dismissal motion and blocks state charges against entheogenic church leader On August 4, 2025, U.S. District Judge Jill N. Parrish ruled in favor of a Utah-based entheogenic church, denying state and city officials’ motion to dismiss and issuing an anti-suit injunction that blocks the state’s ongoing criminal prosecution against its founder. The decision […]
Read MoreMaking Sense of Court Rulings: Why AI Is Just the Latest Tool, Not the Final Word
When a court issues a decision, the clock starts ticking. In the hours that follow, attorneys dissect the holdings, journalists race to publish interpretations, and advocacy groups seek to translate the legalese into public messaging. Yet the underlying task, understanding what the court actually said, remains as essential as ever. Artificial intelligence has recently stepped […]
Read MoreNinth Circuit Sides with World Vision, Rules Religious Employer Can Deny Job to Woman in Same-Sex Marriage
Three-judge panel rules unanimously that customer service roles fall under “ministerial exception” to anti-discrimination laws A federal appeals court on August 5 ruled that World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization, acted within its constitutional rights when it withdrew a job offer to Aubry McMahon, a woman in a same-sex marriage, after learning of her marital […]
Read MoreTithes Without Title: Congregants Lose Bid to Challenge Church Split
The decision provides a legal roadmap for how disputes within religious nonprofits are handled under California law, sharply distinguishing between spiritual participation and corporate governance.
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