Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law Wednesday that will prohibit a school from requiring students and teachers to use preferred pronouns and adds guidelines for books that citizens wish to challenge in schools. “We’re not doing the pronoun olympics in . . . Continue reading →
Religious Freedom Watch
The Feds’ Solution To Loneliness
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recently released an advisory titled “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation.” It warns that social isolation is a major public health problem. The 81-page document presents six government-directed “pillars” of action to address the health hazards of social isolation. . . . Continue reading →
U. S. Dept Of Education Guidance On Prayer In Public Schools
Students may pray when not engaged in school activities or instruction, subject to the same rules designed to prevent material disruption of the educational program that are applied to other privately initiated expressive activities. Students also may read from religious materials; say . . . Continue reading →
Justice Gorsuch Warns About The Erosion Of Civil Liberties
Since March 2020, we may have experienced the greatest intrusions on civil liberties in the peacetime history of this country. Executive officials across the country issued emergency decrees on a breathtaking scale. Governors and local leaders imposed lockdown orders forcing people to . . . Continue reading →
Hostility Against Churches On The Rise In The USA
On March 27, 2023, three children and three adults were killed in a shooting at The Covenant School, a private Christian school and a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee. The assailant shot through glass side doors to access areas . . . Continue reading →
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Terminates Catholic Pastoral Care Contract During Holy Week
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center has issued a “cease and desist order” to Holy Name College, a community of Franciscan Catholic priests and brothers, who have provided pastoral care to service members and veterans at Walter Reed for nearly two decades. The government’s . . . Continue reading →
FBI Places Agent Undercover In Catholic Church?
House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has issued a subpoena to FBI Director Christopher Wray in connection with a now-withdrawn memo that explored avenues for gaining information on white supremacists’ interaction with local Catholic churches. The memo, a product of the Richmond, Va., FBI field office, . . . Continue reading →
NY’ers For Religious Liberty Vs. NYC On Vaccine Mandates
New Yorkers for Religious Liberty is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to protecting religious freedom in New York City as it comes under attack from policies such as the COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Alliance Defending Freedom is serving as co-counsel for the organization, representing . . . Continue reading →
Connecticut Church Sues Over Vaccine Mandate
A Connecticut church is suing the state for allegedly breaching its First Amendment rights by no longer allowing parents’ religious exemptions to vaccines. The lawsuit comes after the state ordered Milford Christian Church to implement the vaccine mandate and expel students who . . . Continue reading →
Christian School Banned From Inter-Scholastic Competition Over Trans Policy
A private Christian school that forfeited a girls’ basketball game rather than play against a team with a transgender player has been banned from Vermont school sporting events. The Vermont Principals’ Association, which oversees school athletics, said Monday afternoon that Mid Vermont . . . Continue reading →
“Hard Work U” Sues Biden Admin Over Trans Policy
Founded in 1906, College of the Ozarks is a religious school in Missouri that aims to provide its students a Christian education. The college’s vision is to develop citizens of Christ-like character who are well-educated, hardworking, and patriotic. No students pay tuition . . . Continue reading →
Do You Know What The “Hardison Standard” Is And How It Affects Your Religious Liberties?
Jewish groups have come to the defense of an Evangelical Christian postal worker who claims he was forced out of his job for refusing to work Sundays, the Christian day of the sabbath. A joint amicus brief filed last Tuesday by the . . . Continue reading →
Catholic Bookstore Defends Its Religious Rights From City Law
Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing a Catholic bookstore in Jacksonville filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday challenging a city law that requires Queen of Angels Catholic Bookstore to speak against its beliefs and to silence its religious views to remain in business. Queen of Angels . . . Continue reading →
U. S. District Court Dismisses Lawsuit Against Religious Schools
Plaintiffs are students who have attended religious colleges and universities nationwide. Plaintiffs bring this putative class action against the United States Department of Education (“the Department”) and Suzanne Goldberg in her official capacity as Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Civil . . . Continue reading →
End Of Life Options Act Clashes With Religious Rights Of Doctors
“Hospice philosophy seeks neither to shorten someone’s life nor to prolong it, but to treat and recognize the dignity of each person,” Cochrane told National Review. “The goal of the physician should be to heal, not to harm.” When California’s End of Life . . . Continue reading →
Australian Couple Awarded Damages For Religious Discrimination
A Western Australian tribunal has found a Christian couple were discriminated against when their application to foster a child was rejected over their view that homosexuality is a sin. Byron and Keira Hordyk applied to become short-term foster carers in 2017 through . . . Continue reading →
Religious Freedom Watch: Board Member Asked To Resign After Voice Concerns Over “Inappropriate” Sign
Activists are calling for a New Jersey school board member to resign after she voiced opposition to a poster she said was inappropriate for schoolchildren, and criticized gender and sexual identity curriculum at large. “Last night, I attended an elementary ‘Math Night.’ My 7 . . . Continue reading →
SCOTUS To Decide Whether Postal Service May Punish Carrier For Observing A Sunday Sabbath
The Supreme Court added eight new cases to its docket this afternoon. One of them, Groff v. DeJoy, raises issues of religious liberty and workplace accommodation. Gerald Groff claims that the U.S. Postal Service discriminated against him on the basis of his . . . Continue reading →
Religious Freedom Watch: Federal Court Blocked Mandate To Force Doctors To Violate Personal Moral Convictions
A federal court on Friday blocked a Biden administration mandate that would force religious hospitals and doctors to facilitate gender transitions against their sincerely held moral convictions. The Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court’s decision to block enforcement . . . Continue reading →
Religious Freedom Watch: Southwest Ordered To Reinstate Flight Attendant Fired For Pro-Life Beliefs
A federal court has ordered Southwest Airlines and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) to give former flight attendant Charlene Carter her job back after she was allegedly fired over her stance on abortion. As CBN News reported in July, after a five-year legal battle, . . . Continue reading →