Supreme Court asks lower courts to apply Trinity reasoning to school voucher cases
Supreme Court sends voucher cases back to the lower courts “for further consideration in light of Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc., v. Comer.”
Read MoreSupreme Court to review right of private parties to deny services to same-sex couples
The Supreme Court will hear a wedding services case involving a bakery owner who refused to provide a cake for a same-sex wedding for religious reasons.
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Supreme Court: State must include church in public funding scheme
The Supreme Court decision in Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer changes 200 years of Establishment Clause precedent and puts churches at risk of regulation.
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Op-Ed: Castile verdict is a nightmare come to life
By Jason Hines – I’m sitting here without a plan. I do not even have a rough outline of where these thoughts will go. If I have a plan, it is simply to write because the Spectrum Blog needs a post for Thursday morning and there is nothing else I want to talk about. I […]
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Blessed are the Peacemakers: Why Adventist Clergy Stay Away from Partisan Politics
By Michael D. Peabody, Esq. [dc]I[/dc]n a study released June 11, 2017, researchers from Yale and Harvard concluded that Seventh-day Adventist clergy in the United States are the most evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to politics. The study also found that nearly half were not registered to either party. […]
Read MoreCourt may hear same-sex wedding cake religious exception case
There are several reasons why the Supreme Court may decide to hear this case when it declined to hear previous religious exception cases.
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Court: Religious hospitals not subject to Federal pension protections
The pensions of employees of church-affiliated organizations are not subject to federal solvency requirements that apply to secular organizations
Read MoreTexas church subpoena bill appropriately limited in scope
The bill prevents the state or local government from subpoenaing sermons but does not prevent criminal investigations or government review of sermons disclosed by other means.
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Kentucky Appeals Court upholds free speech rights of Christian printer in narrow opinion
In a narrowly drafted opinion, the Kentucky Court of Appeals has ruled that the government could not compel a Christian printer to promote messages that violated his religious beliefs.
Read MoreTrump order essentially affirms Johnson Amendment
Last Thursday, President Donald Trump marked the National Day of Prayer with an executive order that at most expressed the administration’s desire that the Department of the Treasury should not unnecessarily threaten the tax-exempt status of religious non-profit organizations if they engage in political activity. Despite stating during the campaign that he would “destroy” the Johnson Amendment, the administration ultimately made a benign gesture affirming existing law while describing its parameters and limits.
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