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.
Category: Current Events
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.”
Why Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland deserves serious consideration
This morning President Obama threw a straight pitch directly into the strike zone when he nominated Judge Merrick Garland to the United States Supreme Court to fill the vacancy left by Justice Antonin Scalia. Garland, currently the chief judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, was confirmed to that court in 1997 with bipartisan Congressional support and has been well regarded by both Democrats and Republicans.
Editorial: Why Trump and his gambling addiction Is Terrifically Bad for America
This is no longer the age of the elder George H.W. Bush where the people could be sold on a “thousand points of light” and promote a “kinder, gentler nation.” Americans want to see carnage – the enemy destroyed and the American way of life vindicated.
Supreme Court to Decide Whether Taxpayers Must Pay for Church Playground Upgrade
The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether Missouri taxpayers can be compelled to pay for “non-sectarian” church upgrades. Case: Trinity Lutheran Church v. Pauley
Oregon Bakers’ $135,000 Fine Held in Escrow Pending Appeal
On Monday, Aaron and Melissa Klein, owners of the Sweet Cakes by Melissa bakery paid a $135,000 fine levied against them by the state of Oregon for refusing on religious grounds to provide a cake for a same-sex commitment ceremony two years ago.
Religious Liberty Advocate John Stevens Has Died
We are saddened to learn that long-time religious liberty advocate John V. Stevens passed away on November 30, 2015.
Angry Red Cups and This Year’s “War on Christmas”
This year’s annual “War on Christmas” is off to a roaring start as Starbucks unwittingly fired the “first shot” by not printing snowflakes or reindeer on their cups, but instead resorted to a simple, plain, red cup.
Why the 14th Amendment and Federal Courts are Essential to Protecting Religious Liberty
Have you ever wondered what legal mechanism existed that permitted the legalization of slavery in the United States after the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791? How it was that men, women, and children were held in bondage after Francis Scott Key wrote the famous words, “land of the free, and the home of the brave” in 1812? How segregation persisted in law until the late 1960s?
Government Official Jailed for the “Right” to Discriminate Against Citizens Based on Official’s Religion
Rowan County, Kentucky, is the flash point of a culture war that threatens to take us away from a Constitutional democracy and toward an American theocracy.