High Court decision on Muslim clergy at execution challenges rule of law
In ruling that an unwritten rule, quite possibly manufactured after the execution was already scheduled, should not be subject to a judicial Establishment Clause…
Chronological & Subject Repository
Category: Legal Issues
February 2019
January 2019
Justices hint interest in revisiting Title VII religious accommodation while declining to hear football coach prayer case
It is debatable whether a claim by a public school football coach that he is compelled by religious belief to pray at the 50-yard…
Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom of 1786 reminds us of the mutual benefits of church-state separation
The Virginia legislators who approved the religious freedom statute in 1786, separating church and state, recognized the potential for change, and call the Americans…
December 2018
9th Cir: Catholic School Teacher Fired for Requesting Time for Cancer Treatment May Pursue ADA Discrimination Claim
On December 17, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the ministerial exception does not bar a teacher in a Catholic school…
November 2018
Supreme Court to decide whether Excessive Fines Clause applies to states
The Supreme Court is likely to decide that the 14th Amendment applies the Excessive Fines Clause of the 8th Amendment of the Bill of…
Supreme Court Agrees to Hear WWI Memorial Cross Case
[dc]T[/dc]he Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal of a 4th Circuit decision involving a Maryland cross-shaped WWI memorial. In 2017, the 4th…
October 2018
Grace v. Works: Alabama 10 Commandments referendum is theologically confusing
Setting the Constitutional separation of church and state issue aside, Alabama's 10 Commandments referendum still creates theological confusion for Christians by promoting the law…
Clergy Housing Tax Exemption Case Heard by Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments this week in Gaylor v. Peecher, a case that challenges the constitutionality of tax-exempt housing…
Founders’ First Freedom Files “Friend of the Court” Brief Asking Court to Hear Religious Accommodation Case
Walgreen v Patterson gives the Supreme Court the opportunity to promote consistency and predictability and resolve disputed interpretation between Circuits, Congress, and the EEOC…
September 2018
Turning Back the Clock: The Plot to Dismantle the Establishment Clause
Over the last few decades, a religious movement has gained widespread political power with the stated intent of turning back the clock by dismantling…