Last week the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear three cases involving whether the pension plans of religiously affiliated hospital systems are exempt from federal pension funding requirements.
Category: Current Events
California Governor Brown signs SB1146 into law
Last Friday, California Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 1146(SB 1146) into place which requires private religious universities that have been granted a federal exemption from Title IX to disclose the fact to the California Student Aid Commission and notify students and staff. Title IX prohibits institutions that receive federal funding from discriminating based on gender,…
Venezuela – Tracking the disintegration of a socialist utopia
Venezuela’s dream of a socialist utopia is quickly disintegrating. How did it get to this point? Will religious liberty survive?
The “right to go” – James Standish proposes solution to bathroom wars
The war over who gets to use which public restroom has become a major topic of debate in recent months. James Standish, an American lawyer currently living in Australia and the former executive director of the US Commission on Freedom of Religion or Belief recently proposed a common-sense solution in an article in the Washington Examiner.
Supreme Court tells parties in contraceptive mandate cases to figure it out
Perhaps in recognition of the long-term perils faced by both parties, the Court today took on the role of a mediator and even outlined a potential pathway toward resolution.
In the Court: Church claim for state funding could open door to regulation
A number of religious organizations have filed amicus briefs in support of a church that is suing the state of Missouri for discrimination when churches are categorically denied funding under the state constitution, but at the same time want to reserve the right to discriminate against groups and individuals when it comes to the use of state-funded church-based infrastructure. Trinity Lutheran Church v. Pauley is ostensibly only about the availability of direct funding for a church playground, but will this open the door to state regulation of access to the funded infrastructure in the future?
“The most important undertaking” – Hillary Clinton on Religious Liberty
“From my perspective, religious liberty is one of the most important issues on the world’s agenda today. It’s our responsibility to think of ways each of us can further religious liberty and freedom. It’s up to each of us, in the roles that we individually play, to ensure that our nation, which has been the exemplar of religious freedom and tolerance amongst a diverse population, continues to be so.” – Hillary Clinton, April 7, 2005 – Seventh-day Adventist Annual Religious Liberty Dinner
Kentucky legislature removes names of county clerks from marriage licenses
On April 13, 2016, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin signed legislation (Senate Bill 216) which creates a single form that allows marriage license applicants to choose between being referred to as a bride, groom, or spouse. It also removes county clerks’ names from marriage licenses.
Dr. C. Norman Farley joins ReligiousLiberty.TV Advisory Panel
We are pleased to welcome Dr. Farley to our Advisory panel. He brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge on liberty of conscience issues.
Supreme Court hears oral arguments in key contraception mandate case
This morning the eight-member United States Supreme Court heard the contraceptive mandate cases that were consolidated under the name Zubik v. Burwell (Docket Number 15-191). (See transcript.) They key issue in all the cases was religious employers who rejected the method of receiving the “religious employer exemption” to the Affordable Care Act (2010) which required group health plans and insurance issues to offer plans that provided “approved contraceptive methods, sterilization procedures, and patient education and counseling for all women with reproductive capacity.”