Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin: Defining the Limits of Religious Charity By Michael D. Peabody, Esq. Issue: Whether a state violates the First Amendment’s religion clauses by denying a religious organization an otherwise-available tax exemption because the organization does not meet the state’s criteria for religious behavior.In northern Wisconsin, a small Catholic charity quietly goes…
In the United States, protecting both free speech and religious liberty is essential for a healthy, diverse society. Censorship, especially when it limits religious expression, threatens the very core of these freedoms.
Religious parents in Montgomery County, Maryland, have appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate their right to opt their children out of lessons on gender and sexuality. The case, Mahmoud v. Taylor, brings a legal challenge to the Montgomery County Board of Education’s decision to deny parents the ability to exempt their children from exposure to storybooks that include topics such as gender transitions and same-sex relationships.
The primary issue in Bacon v. Woodward concerns whether the City of Spokane’s implementation of Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s COVID-19 Proclamation, which required state agency workers to be fully vaccinated, violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment as applied to Spokane firefighters who sought religious exemptions.
A Christmas display sparks legal battle over religious freedom. The Ninth Circuit partially reverses ruling against festive homeowners.
In Ocean Grove, New Jersey, a century-old tradition faces modern legal challenges. The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, a Methodist group, founded a Christian seaside retreat in 1869. The Association owns all the land in the town, including the beach, which it has historically closed on Sunday mornings for worship services.
In a significant advancement for religious liberty, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 2095, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), into law on April 2, 2024. The legislation, celebrated at a Christian conservative event, aims to fortify the religious freedoms of Iowans against government interference.
Whether the Montgomery County Board of Education’s policy, which mandates the use of LGBTQ-inclusive books without providing an opt-out option for parents, infringes on the plaintiffs’ rights to religious freedom and parental control over their children’s education?
Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, is again in the news after a Colorado court ruled he had illegally discriminated by refusing to make a cake to celebrate a gender transition. The court found that Phillips’ refusal to make the cake violated a customer’s right to be free from discrimination. ADF attorneys are appealing the decision, arguing that no one should be forced to express a message against their core beliefs.
A California trial court in Kern County ruled that a bakery that refused to furnish custom-designed cakes for same-sex weddings and referred out to other bakeries did not violate the state’s civil rights act