Catholic On Alberta School Board Seeks To Retain Position

In Canada, this week's Western Catholic Reporter details an interesting complaint filed with the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission by the Chinook's Edge School Division. Roy Brassard has been chair of Chinook's Edge School Division for the past eight years. Last year, Catholic voters in Didsbury voted to join the Red Deer Catholic School Division, which is inside the boundaries of the Chinook's Edge public school system. Alberta approved the change in June. Under Alberta's School Act, this now disqualifies Brassard from continuing to serve on the board of the public school system. Under the School Act, all Catholics within the Catholic School Division are treated as residents of that district. While they are still permitted to send their children to the public school and to be employed by the public school system, they are disqualified from serving on the public school board of trustees. However, Brassard thinks the law needs changing, arguing that "parents of Catholic students who stay in the Chinook's Edge school system will not have the opportunity to represent their children as trustees." The complaint filed with the Human Rights commission was seen as an act of last resort to try to allow Brassard to retain his position.

Mass. Governor Proposes Exemption For Catholic Charities Adoption Services

Following an announcement last week by the Catholic Charities of Boston that it would no longer offer adoption services, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney formally proposed a bill Wednesday that would exempt Catholic Charities from a state anti-discrimination law that currently requires the organization to provide adoption services to gay and lesbian couples. (See prior posting.) Reporting on the Governor's bill, the Boston Globe Wednesday quoted Romney's letter to state legislative leaders: "It is a matter beyond dispute, and a prerequisite to the preservation of liberty, that government not dictate to religious institutions the moral principles by which they are to carry out their charitable and divine mission." [Thanks to Blog From the Capital for the lead.]

In response, the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA) and the Massachusetts chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State yesterday issued a release arguing that the proposed exemption for Catholic Charities would be unconstitutional. They said, "The First Amendment's free exercise clause grants us all the right to hold whatever beliefs we choose, and to act in accordance with them in our private affairs. It does not, however, permit any individual or institution to engage in bigotry in the discharge of a public or governmentally regulated function."

Oregon Court Demands More Religious Accommodation In School Basketball Schedule

In Nakashima v. Board of Education (Ore. Ct. App., March 15, 2006), an Oregon state appellate court gave an initial victory to a Seventh Day Adventist school in its suit against the Oregon Board of Education in the Adventist school's attempt to get the dates of the state basketball tournament rescheduled so games would not be held on Friday night or Saturday, the Adventist players' Sabbath. The student basketball players filed suit under Oregon's statute banning religious discrimination in schools. The Oregon School Activities Association said that accommodating the school's request would amount to an "undue hardship" and therefore was not required by law. The Court of Appeals held that accommodation under Oregon's law required more than the federal civil rights law does. Federal law excuses accommodation if it imposes more than a de minimus burden. Under Oregon law, accommodation is required unless it "requires significant difficulty or expense". The School Activities Association was ordered to apply this test to the students' rescheduling request.

Suit Against UC Berkeley Evolution Website Dismissed

The UC Berkeley News reports that last Monday, a San Francisco federal district court dismissed a suit that had been brought by a Santa Rosa couple who claimed that a University of California, Berkeley, website titled "Understanding Evolution" was used to promote religion. (See prior posting.) Without reaching the merits, the court held that plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the suit. The suit also named an administrator at the National Science Foundation, which partially funded the website, as a defendant. The judge has not yet ruled on the NSF's motion to dismiss the suit against it.

UPDATE: The full opinion in the case is now available on LEXIS: Caldwell v. Caldwell, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13688 (ND Cal., March 13, 2006).

U.N. Creates New Human Rights Council

With the United States nearly alone in its opposition, the United Nations General Assembly yesterday approved the creation of a new Human Rights Council to replace the discredited U.N. Commission on Human Rights. Yesterday the New York Times reported that by a vote of 170-4 with 3 abstentions, the General Assembly passed the resolution that calls for the election of new Council members on May 9, 2006 and a first meeting of the Council on June 19. Joining the U.S. in voting against the resolution were Israel, the Marshall Islands and Palau. Abstaining were Belarus, Iran and Venezuela. The U.S. has objected to the resolution because it does not go far enough in guaranteeing that countries notorious for their human rights abuses will be kept off the new Council. The U.S. wanted a requirement that Council members be elected only by a 2/3 vote in the General Assembly. (See prior posting.) Nevertheless, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said the U.S. would work cooperatively to strengthen the Council. He said whether the U.S. would be a candidate for membership on the Council is still under discussion.

School Board To Permit Distribution of Gideon Bibles

The Brunswick County, North Carolina school board, ignoring legal advice to the contrary, voted 3-2 last week to formulate a policy that would permit the Gideons to distribute Bibles in both middle schools and high schools. Attorney Joseph Causey, citing the 1998 Fourth Circuit case of Peck v. Upshur County Board of Education, had advised the school board to limit distributions to high schoolers once per year, and to make the opportunity available to all religious groups. The Board, however, said it was responding to a specific request, and would deal with other requests on a case-by-case basis, according to an article in yesterday's State Port (NC) Pilot.

SC Trial Judge Decides Church's Dispute With Diocese

In Charleston, South Carolina Monday, a state Circuit Court (trial level) judge handed down a decision in a dispute between the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina and All Saints Church of Pawley's Island that broke away from the diocese in a dispute over the ordination of gay bishops. The Charleston Post and Courier reports Judge Thomas W. Cooper, Jr. ruled that All Saints Church for now could continue to occupy the 60 acres of land on which its building sits. However, he said, ownership will ultimately have to be decided in probate court. That court will have to interpret a 1745 charitable trust that set aside the land for the Church of England. Judge Cooper ruled, on the other hand, that the Diocese holds rights to the name All Saints Parish Waccamaw, and to the cash and assets still held by the breakaway church. Appeals are expected.

Danish Prosecutor Will Not File Charges Against Jyllands-Posten

Yesterday, according to Jurist, Denmark's Director of Public Prosecutions decided that he will not bring criminal charges against the Jyllands-Posten newspaper for publishing caricatures of the prophet Muhammad last September. A complaint had been filed alleging that the paper violated sections 140 and 266 of the Danish Penal Code, but the prosecutor, according to his press release, found no violations. Nevertheless, he pointed out: "Section 140 of the Criminal Code protects religious feelings against mockery and scorn and Section 266 b protects groups of persons against scorn and degradation on account of their religion among other things. To the extent publicly made expressions fall within the scope of these rules there is, therefore, no free and unrestricted right to express opinions about religious subjects." The prosecutor also said that his decision is unappealable. The full text of his 10-page ruling analyzing the relevant legal provisions is also available online. [Thanks to Steven H. Sholk for the lead.]

Litigants Agree Elementary Students May Read Bible At Recess

In Knoxville, Tennessee on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press, federal district judge Thomas Phillips scolded attorneys for the schools and the family of fifth-grader Luke Whitson for permitting a misunderstanding to escalate into into a federal lawsuit. Whitson's parents claim Karns Elementary School Principal Cathy Summa told Luke he could not study the Bible with other students during recess. The principal denies that she said this. At a meeting ordered by the judge, both sides agreed that Knox County Schools have not and will not have a policy or practice of banning students from reading religious texts at recess. However, the lawsuit has not been dismissed.

Pakistan Supreme Court Orders Websites With Muhammad Cartoons Blocked

On order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority has blocked access in the country to all websites displaying the controversial cartoons of Muhammad that were first published in a Danish paper. Asia Media reports that in the suit against a number of defendants, including Yahoo USA, attorney Qamar Afzal argued that availability of the cartoons should be declared to be intellectual terrorism. The court asked Attorney General of Pakistan Makhdoom Ali Khan to assist the court in determining how it can exercise broader jurisdiction to prevent availability of blasphemous material on websites all over the world. The court will take up the case again next Monday.

The International Freedom of Expression Exchange reported last week that the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority ordered Internet service providers to block 12 websites carrying the offending cartoons. ISPs, apparently as required by the PTA order, to implement the blackout have blocked all blogs hosted by blogspot.com.

Long Beach Seeking To Take Church Property For Condos

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's Kelo decision, Baptist Press reported yesterday on the beginnings of a controversial attempt by redevelopment officials in Long Beach, California to use eminent domain to acquire the church building of the Filipino Baptist Fellowship. On March 13, the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency Board voted 6-0 to condemn the church in order to build condominiums, despite opposition from many community members. The church's attorney, John Eastman, director of The Claremont Institute’s Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, said proving that the taking is for a public use would be simple for the city because a church is tax-exempt and a housing project would bring in tax revenue.

Dutch Ministers Fail To Agree on Burka Ban

In the Netherlands yesterday, according to Expatica, Immigration and Integration Minister Rita Verdonk was unable to get cabinet agreement on banning the wearing of burkas in education, health care and certain other situations on security grounds. Two government parties have supported a broader ban that would prohibit wearing the burka anywhere in public. Legal experts, however, suggest that even a limited ban on the cloak worn by some Muslim women would violate the country's Constitutional protection of religious freedom.

California Bill Would Require Consideration of Religion In Adoptions

In California last month, Assemblyman Chuck DeVore introduced into the state legislature a bill that would require courts in adoptions and in appointment of guardians after terminating parental rights to consider "the religious, cultural, moral,and ethnic values of the child or of his or her birth parents, if those values are known or ascertainable by the exercise of reasonable care." (AB 2130).

Law Prof Says Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment Would Violate Religion Clauses

Two weeks ago, American University law professor Jamie Raskin testified before the Judicial Proceedings Committee of the Maryland State Senate in opposition to a proposed state constitutional amendment that would bar gay marriage. His testimony (full text) focused directly on free exercise and establishment clause issues posed by the amendment. He said:

[W]hen I hear testimony from my fellow Marylanders about how ending statewide marriage discrimination would collide with their church beliefs, my response is simple and, I hope, reassuring: Your church will never have to perform a marriage ceremony of any gay couple or indeed any couple of any kind that it disapproves of....

But the irony here is that the State today is stopping many churches and temples from marrying gay couples that the churches want to marry. That is, the State today is violating the rights of many churches--including Unitarian, Episcopal, Presybeterian and Jewish congregations, among many others--who seek to perform lawful weddings for their parishioners but may not simply because other groups of citizens think it would be wrong for them to do it.

Because America is for all its citizens regardless of religion and because so many churches have so many different belief systems, we are governed here not by religious law but by secular law. The rules of civil marriage--the license that the State grants you to marry--must be determined with respect to the federal and state Constitutions, not particular religious claims, no matter how fervently held.

Later, in response to a Senator's question about whether "God's law" prohibits gay marriage, Raskin replied:

"Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You didn't place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."

Raskin himself is a candidate for Maryland's State Senate this year. [Thanks to Roy Mersky via Religionlaw for the information.]

Ohio Clergy Group Plans Rally Today For Social Justice Issues

The AP reports that a rally is planned today by We Believe Ohio, a group of over 100 Protestant, Catholic and Jewish clergy in central Ohio that wants to move debate away from divisive issues such as gay marriage , and refocus on social justice issues issues, such as jobs, education and health care. (See prior posting on other religious political activities in Ohio.)

Article Chronicles New Partisan Appeals To Religion

Beliefnet this week carries a long article by Amy Sullivan titled Why Evangelicals Are Bolting the GOP. She says, "There is a growing recognition among mainstream Democrats and the once-quiescent Religious Left that they can reframe issues they care about in terms that appeal to religious voters." The article chronicles some of the attempts by the Republican party to prevent Democrats from succeeding in this strategy. It begins with a particularly interesting description of Republican opposition in the Alabama legislature to a Democratic-sponsored bill to permit a high school elective course on the Bible in history and culture.

Texas Moment of Silence Law Challenged

In Dallas, Texas, parents of an elementary school child filed suit in federal district court last Friday challenging Texas' statute providing for a moment of silence at the beginning of the school day. The Dallas Morning News reports that parents David and Shannon Croft alleged in their complaint that one of their children was told by a teacher to be quiet because the minute is a "time for prayer." Croft commented, "I do not believe there is any secular reason for a moment of silence. This is just a ruse to get prayer in school without calling it prayer in school. Is there any study showing a moment of silence helps education?" The Crofts are atheists, and Mr. Croft has complained to the schools a number of times about religious themed songs, school meetings of the Good News Club, and a poster in the school reading "In God We Trust".

The law, (Educ. Code 25.082) passed in 2003, allows children to "reflect, pray, meditate or engage in any other silent activities" for one minute after the American and Texas pledges at the beginning of each school day. In 1985, in Wallace v. Jaffree, the U.S. Supreme Court found that an Alabama moment of silence law was an unconstitutional promotion of prayer. State Rep. Dan Branch who co-sponsored the 2003 Texas law, said legislators, aware of constitutional issues, carefully worded the statute to create a neutral time. He said teachers have told him the law helps calm children down. Letting children pray in school makes them feel the school is not hostile toward their religion, he said.

Prisoner Claims Punishment For Prayer

In McLeod v. Still, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9702 (DNJ, Feb. 14, 2006), a New Jersey federal district judge let a somewhat unusual prisoner free exercise claim proceed. Prisoner Randolph McLeod claimed that his exercise of religion was infringed when he was interrupted and charged with a disciplinary violation in the prison's law library while he was typing a letter to a judge that contained a prayer. McLeod charged that in a second incident, a different corrections officer made slanderous remarks about the prisoner's religion while he was praying in his cell and threatened and punished him for praying.

Tennessee Paper Opposes Special Christian License Plates

The Jackson, Tennessee Sun today editorializes against a bill that his been introduced into the Tennessee legislature to provide for a new specialty license plate carrying the Christian symbol of a fish. The bill is HB 3072 and its companion SB 3204. The newspaper's editorial argues that the state special license plate program should be limited to secular themes.

Battle In Wisconsin Over Angel Statue In Public Park

A new variation of the battle over placing religious symbols on public property is brewing in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The Associated Press reports that the nonprofit grief-support group, Compassionate Friends, would like to place a "Christmas Box Angel" statue in the city's Menominee Park. The Freedom From Religion Foundation threatens to sue if the city accepts the offer. The angels, which cost about $20,000 each, are based on "The Christmas Box," a book by Richard Paul Evans about a widow and the young family who moves in with her. Christmas Box House International says that the angel statutes, currently located in Salt Lake City and a number of other areas, are places for grieving parents to come to heal.

Purim Humor Aims At U.S. Politics

Tonight begins the Jewish holiday of Purim, which marks the escape of the Persian Jewish community from destruction, as recounted in the biblical Book of Esther. One tradition of Purim is the creation of humorous parodies. This week's Philadelphia Jewish Voice, in that tradition, carries five attempts at Purim humor parodying American politics. The articles-- which make for refreshing, albeit somewhat partisan, reading-- are titled Daylin Leach: Minyan Maker In Harrisburg; Liberals Flip-Flop on Vice-Presidential Hunting Trips ; Halliburton Wins Contract to Reconstruct Cheney's Reputation; U.S. Outsources Homeland Security to North Korea; and Bush: "I Am An Oilaholic".

Religious Freedom Issues In Tajikistan

Forum 18 reports today that Tajikistan's planned new law on religion will require registration of religious organizations, in violation of international human rights norms. It will join four other former Soviet republics in imposing this kind of requirement. Forum 18 also reports that authorities refuse to permit a madrasa, closed because of its members affiliation with the Islamic Revival Party, to reopen. The government says the Islamic school does not have a license from the Muslim Spiritual Administration (MSA). However the MSA no longer functions in the country, so there is no group that can grant the madrasa a license.

New Law & Religion Scholarship Online

A number of new scholarly articles of interest have recently been posted online:

From Bepress:

• Shelley Ross Saxer & Daryl Fisher-Ogden, World Religions and Clean Water Laws.
• Marc L. Roark, All in the Family: The Apocalyptic Legal Tradition as Crit Theory.
• Marc L. Roark, Understanding Jurisprudential Approaches to Islam.
• Mark Osler, Christ, Christians & Capital Punishment.
  

From SSRN

• Robin Charlow, The Elusive Meaning of Religious Equality, to appear in Winter 2006 Washington Univ. Law Review.
• Scott C. Idleman, Religious Premises, Legislative Judgments, and the Establishment Clause (recently posted online, though it appeared in the 2002 issue of the Cornell Journal of Law & Public Policy).
  

New Jersey Church Has Preliminary RLUIPA Win

In Church of the Hills of Bedminster v. Township of Bedminster, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9488 (DNJ, Feb. 24, 2006) a New Jersey federal district court upheld the constitutionality of the land use provisions of RLUIPA over a wide variety of constitutional attacks, and found that plaintiff's complaint adequately stated a claim under RLUIPA and the Equal Protection Clause,. However, it dismissed plaintiff's due process claim. The decision permits Church of the Hills to move forward in its challenge to a denial of zoning variances sought to accommodate the church's planned expansion.

Workplace Chaplaincies Create New Legal Issues

A Knight Ridder article in today's Macon Telegraph focuses on the growing practice of companies providing chaplains to employees in the workplace. The article raises interesting questions of employee rights and chaplains' duties of confidentiality. Presbyterian minister and University of Richmond Professor Douglas Hicks warns of some of the difficult conflicts faced by corporate chaplains. Can companies encourage their chaplains to counsel workers who are laid off to deal with their anger in ways other than suing the company? When may ( or must) chaplains who learn of employee wrongdoing during counseling report to the company that an employee has stolen corporate funds? And what about informing the company of employee drug or alcohol abuse, costly medical conditions or union activity?

Arizona House Moves On 4 Bills To Aid Parochial Schools

The Arizona Daily Star reports that on Thursday, the Arizona House of Representatives gave preliminary approval to three bills providing for school vouchers that can be used in private and parochial schools, even though some members questioned the constitutionality of the measures. The House gave final approval to another bill permitting corporations to direct up to $5 million a year of their state income-tax obligations to organizations that provide scholarships for students to attend private and parochial schools.

Another Israeli Election Ad Banned-- This Time For Religious Promises

After earlier this week banning an anti-religious election ad run by a secular political party, Israel's Central Elections Committee Chairwoman Judge Dorit Beinish has now banned an ad by Shas, one of the religious parties. The ad features the party's spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, explaining that anyone who votes for Shas will end up in heaven. According to today's Ynet News, Shas Chairman Eli Yishai bitterly attacked the decision, and hinted at a comparison between Judge Beinish and Haman, the villain in the story of Purim (a Jewish holiday which begins Monday evening).

Utah Schools Fear Cost of Distributing Notice On Religious Rights

The Utah legislature yesterday passed Senate Joint Resolution 9 which states: "The Legislature of the state of Utah recognizes the right of public school students to voluntarily participate in prayer, and also in the singing of songs and in expressions related to holidays that are religious in nature, in public schools, within known legal limits of religious expression, tolerance, civility, and dignity as contemplated by this nation's founders." The resolution is required to be sent each year to about 510,000 public students, parents, the PTA, Utah Education Association, State Board of Education, Utah League of Cities and Towns and Utah Association of Counties. Utah's Daily Herald says that school districts are concerned that they will be saddled with the $10,000 annual cost of distribution if the PTA or another group does not volunteer to pay for it.

Boston Catholic Agency Ends Adoption Services In Protest of Gay Adoption

In two articles today, the Boston Globe (here and here) reports that Catholic Charities of Boston has announced that it will end its adoption work, rather than comply with state law requiring that gays be allowed to adopt children. Catholic Charities of Boston began in 1903 as an adoption agency. Officials in government, social services, and gay-rights groups all expressed disappointment about the decision. Catholic Charities is widely respected and has handled more adoptions of foster children than any other private agency in Massachusetts. [Thanks to Rick Duncan via Religionlaw for this.]

The Globe also reports that Governor Mitt Romney said yesterday that he plans to file a bill that would exempt religious organizations from the state's antidiscrimination laws so that Catholic Charities and other religious groups could refuse to provide adoption services when doing so violates their faith.

According to the Associated Press, Massachusetts' four Catholic bishops earlier this month said that the law on gay adoptions threatens the church's religious freedom by forcing it to do something it considers immoral. Eight members of Catholic Charities board later resigned in protest of the bishops' stance. The 42-member board had voted unanimously in December to continue considering gay households for adoptions.

The Archdiocese of Boston has posted an interview with Dr. John Haas, president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia, explaining the Church's position.

Kentucky Approves Ten Commandments On Public Property, As Roy Moore Presses the Issue Elsewhere

According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, the Kentucky House of Representatives yesterday voted 95-5 to approve a bill permitting Ten Commandments displays on public property. With the House vote, the bill goes to the Governor, whose approval is expected. The Lexington-Herald Leader also reports on the bill's passage.

The bill, HB 277, permits the display in public buildings, on public property and in schools of historic monuments, symbols and texts if they are displayed in a balanced, objective and not solely religious manner. The display must neither favor nor disfavor religion generally or a particular religious belief. Also any display must promote Kentucky's historic, cultural, political, and general heritage and achievements. The bill also provides for the return to the Capitol grounds of a Ten Commandments monument that had been removed under court order in 2000 to a Fraternal Order of Eagles site. And the bill calls for posting "In God We Trust" in the House of Representatives chambers.

Meanwhile, former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, who is running for Governor of Alabama, is apparently speaking around the country pressing for the display of the Ten Commandments on public property. An interview with him was published today by the Toledo (Ohio) Blade, prior to Moore's appearance on Tuesday at a Toledo-area Christian school. The former judge, who was removed from office after refusing to obey a court order to remove a large Ten Commandments monument from Alabama's supreme court building, told the Blade: "I did not disobey the rule of law. I disobeyed the rule of man. No judge or person can put himself above the law he is sworn to uphold. And we are not sworn to obey such men, but the Constitution."

Montana Church Found To Have Violated State Campaign Restrictions

On March 7, the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices issued his decision in In the Matter of the Complaint Against the Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church. Yesterday the Baptist Press reported on the case which held that an East Helena Baptist Church violated Montana campaign finance and practices laws and regulations by its activities in support of a 2004 ballot measure prohibiting gay marriage. The decision held that the Church should have filled out paperwork to report itself as an "incidental political committee". The opinion said: "Use of the church’s facilities to obtain signatures on CI-96 petitions, along with Pastor Stumberg’s encouragement of persons to sign the CI-96 petitions during regularly scheduled church services, obviously had value to the campaign in support of CI-96."

Alliance Defense Fund attorney Gary McCaleb claims the law unconstitutionally infringes on religious expression and free speech. He said: "It has a chilling effect on a church's speech. It means [the church] has to register with the state and jump through a bunch of election-law-reporting hoops merely for putting a few pieces of paper out in the foyer. It's a pretty outrageous extension of election law into the free speech realm."

California Supreme Court Upholds Antidiscrimination Pledge For Receipt of Subsidy

Yesterday, the California Supreme Court in Evans v. City of Berkeley (March 9, 2006), upheld the right of Berkeley to suspend the Sea Scouts' (an affiliate of the Boy Scouts) free use of a berth in the city's marina after the scout group refused to confirm that it would not discriminate against gays or atheists. The Court held that the denial did not violate the Scout group's right of free expression or association, or their right to equal treatment. The Court said: "[A] government entity may constitutionally require a recipient of funding or subsidy to provide written, unambiguous assurances of compliance with a generally applicable nondiscrimination policy." The Sea Scout group in fact did not, at least presently, discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or religion. However, it refused to clearly confirm this in writing because that would violate policies that the Boy Scouts of America required. The Court said: "We are aware of no authority for the extraordinary proposition that government infringes on associational rights by offering one group a financial benefit that, if accepted, could lead another group to sever its association with the recipient."[Thanks to Marty Lederman via Religionlaw listserv for the information.]

President's Remarks On Faith-Based Initiatives

Here is the full text , as well as a Knight-Ridder news report on, President George W. Bush's remarks to yesterday' White House Conference on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. In his remarks, the President called for two changes in the Internal Revenue Code-- larger tax deductions for corporate food donations, and permitting individuals to use a portion of IRA funds tax-free for charitable contributions. He went on to say:

As you know, this has been quite a controversial subject here in the United States Congress. We believe in separation of church and state -- the church shouldn't be the state and the state shouldn't be the church. No question that's a vital part of the country, and that's a vital part of our heritage and we intend to keep it that way. But when it comes to social service funding, the use of taxpayers' money, I think we're able to meet the admonition of separation of church and state and, at the same time, recognize that faith programs provide an important model of success. They help us achieve certain objectives in our country.

The White House also issued a Fact Sheet, titled Compassion in Action: Producing Real Results for Americans Most in Need as well as a detailed report on grants to faith-based organizations in fiscal 2005.

Petition In European Court of Human Rights On Muhammad Cartoons

According to Jurist, the European Court of Human Rights announced yesterday that it had received an application from the French Regional Council for the Muslim Faith to declare the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in French newspapers an infringement of the non-discrimination provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights. Last month a French court dismissed a similar suit on procedural grounds. (See prior posting.) [Thanks to Steven H. Sholk for the lead.]

Complaint Against Air Force Proselytization Expanded

The Associated Press reports on two interesting developments Thursday in the lawsuit brought against the Air Force by Mikey Weinstein, an Air Force Academy graduate, and a group of active-duty officers, who are seeking an injunction to prevent Christian proselytization at the Air Force Academy. First, the plaintiffs asked to amend the complaint to also seek a declaration that the Air Force's new Guidelines on religion are unconstitutional. Second, the plaintiffs ask to add Air Force recruiter, Master Sgt. Phillip Burleigh, as a plaintiff. Burleigh alleges he was asked by superiors to use Jesus Christ as a recruiting tool.

Impact of O Centro On RLUIPA Land Use Claims

The Becket Fund's RLUIPA website has posted a detailed legal memo on the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court's O Centro decision on religious land use cases under RLUIPA. The memo concludes that: "The opinion should finally lay to rest any argument that RLUIPA violates the Establishment Clause..." The memo says, most importantly, the decision establishes what must be shown for a state or local government to show a compelling interest in enforcing land use laws that restrict religious exercise. A general interest in enforcing a zoning code is not enough. A government must show a compelling interest in a specific context. And a compelling interest is less likely to be found if the statutory scheme already makes exemptions available for some reasons. [Thanks to Rick Duncan via Religionlaw listerv for the lead.]

State Department Issues 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights

Yesterday, the U.S. State Department released its 2005 annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. The report to Congress is required by sections 116(d) and 502B(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and section 504 of the Trade Act of 1974. The purpose of the reports is to highlight human rights achievements and violations and to suggest future tasks and the potential for greater cooperation in advancing the aspirations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including the protection of religious liberty.

White House Conference Today Will Tout Faith-Based Programs

A White House Conference on Faith Based and Community Initiatives today is expected to attract 1500 people, according to the Chicago Tribune. It is expected that President Bush will announce that 2005 showed record federal grants to religious charities-- over $2 billion, of which $127.4 million went to charities in Illinois. Recent legislation has assured that religious groups receiving TANF funds and funds under the President's Marriage and Fatherhood Program are able to take employees' religious affiliation into account in hiring. Yesterday, Jim Towey, director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, in an online chat, said "For too long we have treated these vital groups as 'candy stripers', when they have been the foot soldiers."

Rev. Barry W. Lynn, head of release yesterday criticized the President's Faith-Based program, saying: "The White House is using incense and mirrors to cover up its domestic policy failures. Presidential speeches and bogus reports about the faith-based initiative are no substitute for adequate funding of effective government programs."

Spiritual Leaders Urge Prison Sweat Lodge Be Limited To Native Americans

The Las Vegas Sun yesterday reported that at a hearing Tuesday before the Nevada Indian Commission, Native American spiritual advisers urged the Department of Corrections to exclude non-Indians from religious sweat lodge ceremonies at Nevada State Prison. A Department of Corrections check showed that many participants in sweat lodge ceremonies for inmates segregated from the general prison population are white or Hispanic. That includes the sweat lodge's spiritual leader, August Ardagna, and its pipe holder, Lionel Hernandez. "They are just playing with our ceremonies," said Buck Sampson, spiritual leader for the Reno-Sparks Indian colony." What they are doing makes me sick." Spiritual leaders, though, said they are sensitive to people who are not full-blooded Indians, but want follow Native American traditions.

Israel Elections Committee Censors Anti-Religious Ad

In Israel, Arutz Sheva yesterday reported that the Chairperson of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Dorit Beinish, has told the ultra-secularist Shinui party that she would order one of its campaign ads censored because it is grossly insulting to the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. The ad depicts an obviously secular Israeli walking in the street with Hareidi (ultra-Orthodox) people hanging onto his legs. Shinui says it will appeal to the High Court of Justice.

Full California Board of Education Adopts Textbook Changes On Hinduism

Yesterday, according to the Sacramento Bee, California's State Board of Education approved changes to history textbooks, in an attempt to find a compromise to conflicting demands raised in previous months about how Hinduism should be taught in public schools. (See prior posting.) Controversy has focused on whether the textbooks' descriptions of caste and gender discrimination unfairly singled out Hinduism for practices common in the ancient world. Opponents said the proposed changes would whitewash practices that still go on in India. The recommended changes the board accepted Wednesday in most cases represented points of agreement among opposing groups, according to Department of Education staff.

Claims By Prisoners Permitted To Proceed

In Henderson v. Brush, 2006 U.S.Dist. LEXIS 8756 (WD Wis., March 6, 2006), a Wisconsin federal district court permitted a Taoist prisoner to proceed with establishment and free exercise clause claims against Wisconsin prison officials for failing to recognize Taoism as an umbrella religious group; purchasing texts for Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim inmates but not for Taoist inmates; and refusing to purchase two Taoist texts for the plaintiff.

In Lewis v. Mitchell, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 40814 (SD Cal., Oct. 5, 2005), a decision from last year that has just become available, a California federal district court dealt with a Muslim prisoner's claim that his religious liberty was infringed when he was deceptively served pork disguised as turkey. The court held that the prisoner must assert more than negligence to support his claim that his constitutional rights have been infringed. It found that he had asserted conscious or intentional acts against two of the defendants, but not against a third. The earlier Magistrate Judge's recommendation in the suit, also just released, is at 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 40812 (July 11, 2005).

V.A. Slow To Recognize Wiccan Grave Markers

Blog From the Capital today points out a story from last week's Las Vegas Review-Journal (via AlterNet) on the slowness of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and its National Cemetery Administration in approving an application to add the Wiccan Pentacle symbol to the 30-plus others that may be placed on veterans' headstones in national cemeteries. The widow of Nevada National Guard Sgt. Patrick Stewart, killed when the Chinook helicopter he was in was shot down in Afghanistan, is seeking to have the symbol placed on her late husband's headstone.

White House Developments On Faith-Based Initiatives

The President yesterday issued an Executive Order (full text) requiring the Secretary of Homeland Security to create a center for faith-based and community initiatives in DHS. The Executive Order provides: "The purpose of the Center shall be to coordinate agency efforts to eliminate regulatory, contracting, and other programmatic obstacles to the participation of faith-based and other community organizations in the provision of social and community services."

In a related matter, today at 11:00 a.m., Jim Towey, Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, will conduct an interactive online discussion of the upcoming White House conference on the role corporations and foundations play in funding social services. The public may submit questions for Mr. Towey through the White House website.

Connecticut Bill Would Require Catholic Hospitals To Dispense Emergency Contraceptive

Lifenews.com reports that the Connecticut legislature is considering a bill (RSB 445) that would require Catholic hospitals to provide the morning-after pill to victims of sexual assault, even though it conflicts with Catholic religious teachings. Not surprisingly, the four Catholic hospitals in the state oppose the bill. Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell, who supports legal abortion, says she favors the current law, which permits hospitals not to dispense the morning-after pill for religious reasons but requires that they refer women who seek it to other hospitals. However, her spokesperson said the Governor would be willing to consider the new legislation if it passes. Gubernatorial candidate John DeStefano, the mayor of New Haven, supports the morning-after pill requirement for Catholic hospitals, as does Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services. To pass, the bill needs to be voted out of the Public Health Committee by March 20 and enacted by both houses of the legislature by May 3, the end of the current legislative session.

Sikhs Battle Montreal Port Authority Over Hard Hats

CTV.ca reported yesterday that in Canada a new religious liberty dispute between Sikhs and the government has arisen after the province of Quebec enacted legislation requiring all truck drivers coming into the Port of Montreal to wear hard hats. Sikh truck drivers say that wearing a helmet violates their religious obligation not to remove their dastaars (turbans). Prithvi Saluja, a Quebec Sikh, argues that throughout history Sikhs have performed dangerous tasks without helmets. However, France Poulin, from the Montreal's Port Authority, says that the issue is one of worker safety. In some cases, terminal operators have permitted Sikh truck drivers wearing turbans to enter the port, but have requried them to remain in their trucks. In other cases, entry has been denied.

Colorado Bill Would Protect Employees From Employer Religious Indoctrination

The Colorado legislature is considering H.B. 1314 that would prohibit employers from penalizing employees for not attending meetings at which the employer wishes to express opinions on religious or political matters. The Associated Press yesterday reported on the newly proposed bill hat is aimed at protecting employees from becoming captive audiences. Religious and political organizations would be exempt. The Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry opposes the measure bill, saying it would conflict with federal labor law and encourage lawsuits. They also argue that it fails to define "religion" and "political matters."

New U.S. Restrictions On Religious Groups' Travel To Cuba Protested

The Washington Post yesterday reported that 105 members of Congress have signed a letter sent to Treasury Secretary John Snow questioning a change in policy by the Office of Foreign Assets Control which is making it more difficult for national church groups to take their members to Cuba. OFAC previously issued broad licenses (under 31 CFR 515.566) for Cuban travel organized by religious organizations. However, a number of large organizations have allegedly abused their religious travel licenses by soliciting participation beyond their own members. So they are now being issued more limited permits. Local congregations can still get broad licenses, because they are more likely to know and control the make-up of their travel groups. The letter from Congress reads in part: "we believe it is inappropriate and unacceptable for politics and government to serve as a hurdle and now as a barrier to faith-based connections between individuals. If anything, these connections foster greater religious freedom in Cuba and contribute to a severely-lacking free-flowing exchange of ideas between the two countries."

Japanese Court Says Buddhist Pet Funerals Are Not Religious

In Japan today, the Nagoya High Court held that a Buddhist Temple's profits from religious-style funerals for pets are taxable. Japan Economic Newswire reports the court rejected the Temple's argument that at least pet cremation and sutra chanting are tax exempt as religious activities.

Drivers' License Photos Pose Religious Issues

Around the world, religious adherents are objecting to the requirement that their photo appear on their drivers' licenses.

In Canada, in the southern part of Alberta, the Hutterite settlement, the Wilson Colony, has filed suit to challenge the province's photo requirement that came into effect in 2003. Hutterites believe that the Second Commandment prohibits them from willingly having their picture taken. Yesterday BBC News reported that as licenses in the small religious colony come up for renewal, individuals are not renewing them. Now there are only 15 licensed drivers left. The colony's lawyer, Greg Senda, says the colony is worried what could happen to their large scale farming operation if no one can drive. After the suit was filed claiming a violation of religious freedom, residents were issued temporary licenses while the case is being litigated.

Meanwhile, in France, the Council of State, France's highest administrative body, ruled on Monday that Sikhs must remove their turbans for drivers license photos, calling it a question of public security and not a restriction on freedom of religion. In December, the Council of State had ruled in favor of Shingara Mann Singh, who refused on religious grounds to comply with the administrative order to take off his turban for his license photo. That decision said that the wrong ministry had issued the order. A day later the Transport Ministry, the correct ministry, took steps to adopt the required order. That sent the case back to the Council of State. The Hindu reports that yesterday the Council of State ruled against Singh's religious freedom claim.

Cert. Denied In Washburn Art Show Case

Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari in O'Connor v. Washburn University, (Docket No. 05-837) a 10th Circuit case in which the lower court rejected an Establishment Clause challenge to Washburn University's display of an allegedly anti-Catholic statue (titled "Holier than Thou") in its annual outdoor sculpture display. (See prior posting.) The Associated Press reported on the denial of cert.

Jail Canteen Funds To Churches Is Challenged

Last week, the Virginian Pilot reported that Virginia sheriffs have paid public monies to Christian groups that provide Christian Bible study and counseling in local jails. The sheriffs are donating proceeds from their jail canteens to the religious organizations. The largest payment was $45,650 contributed by the former Hampton County sheriff to Southeastern Correctional Ministry Inc. These revelations led the ACLU of Virginia last week to file a Freedom of Information Act request for records from 3 jails. (ACLU Release.) "Jails may accommodate the religious needs of inmates by funding chaplains’ services that offer assistance to all prisoners regardless of their faith," said ACLU of Virginia executive director Kent Willis, "but they cannot pay a Christian ministry to bring only the Christian message into their jails." Saturday's Hampton Roads Daily Press also reports on these developments. [Thanks to Alliance Alert for the information.]

Does Today's FAIR Decision Implicate Christian Student Group Cases?

Today in Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld the Solomon Amendment (10 USC 983 (b)). That law denies federal funding to universities whose law schools exclude military recruiters because the military discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation. While not the main thrust of the case, the Court's opinion (by Chief Justice Roberts) does seem to have implications for the long-running dispute between a number of Christian student groups and universities over formal recognition of student groups that limit membership on the basis of religion or on the basis of sexual activities that violate "Biblical" norms. At issue is whether requiring law schools or universities to recognize groups that discriminate on the basis of religion infringes the school's right to take a stand against discrimination. The argument is based largely on a 2000 Supreme Court case, Boy Scouts v. Dale, that held that the Boy Scouts' freedom of expressive association was violated by New Jersey's public accommodations law which required the Scouts to accept homosexual scoutmasters.

In today's decision, the Court rejected this argument in the context of the Solomon Amendment. It said:

According to FAIR, law schools' ability to express their message that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is wrong is significantly affected by the presence of military recruiters on campus and the schools' obligation to assist them....

The Solomon Amendment, however, does not similarly affect a law school's associational rights. To comply with the statute, law schools must allow military recruiters on campus and assist them in whatever way the school chooses to assist other employers. Law schools therefore "associate" with military recruiters in the sense that they interact with them. But recruiters are not part of the law school. Recruiters are, by definition, outsiders who come onto campus for the limited purpose of trying to hire students-- not to become members of the school's expressive association. This distinction is critical. Unlike the public accommodations law in Dale, the Solomon Amendment does not force a law school "'to accept members it does not desire'".

This language might be read to suggest that placing a school's imprimatur on a student group by formally recognizing it does make it one of the "members of the school's expressive association", and forcing the school to recognize it would therefore unconstitutionally impair the school's associational rights.

Religious Freedom Issues In Bush's Pakistan Visit

In anticipation of President Bush's visit to Pakistan this past week end, Michael Cromartie , Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom ("USCIRF"), and Elizabeth H. Prodromou, a member of the Commission, on Friday published a call for the President to push Pakistan on issues of religious freedom. In their op ed piece in the Philadelphia Enquirer, also posted on USCIRF's website, they said that Bush should urge Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to repeal unused laws that provide for punishments such as amputation and stoning in conformity with Islamic law; rescind laws that criminalize the public practice of the Ahmadi faith; decriminalize blasphemy; and act to prevent religious violence and punish its perpetrators.

At the leaders' joint news conference on Saturday, President Musharraf answered a question about his efforts to promote democracy in Pakistan. He spoke of promoting freedom of speech and press, and empowerment of women, but not of freedom of religion. Bush's news conference statement said that he had discussed the Muhammad cartoon controversy with Musharraf. Finally, in their Joint Statement issued on Saturday, the Presidents mentioned religious toleration, but not in a manner that directly addressed the concerns of USCIRF. The Statement said: "The two leaders recognize the need to promote tolerance, respect and mutual understanding, and inter-faith harmony to strengthen appreciation of the values and norms common to the world's religions and cultures. The two leaders acknowledge with appreciation the various international initiatives in this regard including President Musharraf's concept of Enlightened Moderation. The two leaders agreed that acts that disturb inter-faith harmony should be avoided."

Israeli Justice Jockeying To Write Opinion On "Who Is A Jew?"

The Israeli Supreme Court has pending before it a case raising the question of whether the government must recognize as Jews under the Law of Return individuals who have been converted in Israel by Reform and Conservative rabbis. (See prior posting.) Haaretz today reports that in an unusual move, Supreme Court President Aharon Barak is encouraging the parties to agree to consolidate the cases with other related cases that are further along so that Barak will be the one who can write the high court's ruling on the delicate "who is a Jew" issue before he retires in December. However, the Justice Ministry says that it cannot formulate its response until after the elections are held and a new government is formed.

RLUIPA Land Use Developments

Here are some recent developments in the application of RLUIPA in land use cases:

In City and County of Honolulu v. Sherman (Feb. 28, 2006), the Hawaii Supreme Court held that a Hawaii statute (R.O.H. Ch. 38) that permits the city and county to file eminent domain proceedings to convert properties from leaseholds to fee simple ownership is not subject to RLUIPA because the law is neither a zoning nor a landmarking law. Therefore it does not constitute a "land use regulation" as RLUIPA defines the term.

The Associated Press reports that on Friday, a federal district judge released an opinion holding that RLUIPA prevents the Village of Mamaroneck in New York from using its zoning laws to block construction of a new 44,000 square-foot building by the Westchester Jewish Day School. The zoning board had raised issues of traffic, parking, esthetics and property values in denying the application to build the school in Mamaroneck's upscale Orienta Point neighborhood. Judge William Conner said that the board's denial, in 2001, "was so contrary to the evidence and to the equities as to be arbitrary and capricious." However, the judge stayed his order pending an appeal to the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals. The long history of the case is traced by this coverage of Friday's decision by the Westchester Journal News. UPDATE: The lengthy opinion is now available on LEXIS, Westchester Day School v. Village of Mamaroneck, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9058 (SDNY, March 2, 2006).


A recently published article reviews RLUIPA land use developments: Edwin P. Voss, Jr. & Meredith A. Ladd, Recent Developments Under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, 37 Urban Lawyer 449-466 (2005). [Thanks to SmartCILP]

American Legion Begins Campaign For Public Expression of Religion Act

WorldNetDaily reported yesterday that the American Legion has begun a campaign to get grass roots support for the proposed Public Expression of Religion Act ("PERA"), H.R. 2679. The bill would amend 42 USC Sec. 1983, the basic federal statute that authorizes suits for violation of civil rights by limiting relief for Establishment Clause violations to injunctions. Damages would no longer be available. It would also amend the Civil Rights Attorney Fees Act to preclude the award of attorneys' fees to plaintiffs bringing Establishment Clause claims. The bill, introduced by Rep, John Hostettler, R-Ind, currently has 40 co-sponsors.

Last week, the Legion released a booklet titled In The Footsteps Of The Founders – A Guide To Defending American Values, which gives background on PERA. The Legion is particularly focusing on suits against the BoyScoutss, and and attorneys' fees that have been awarded to ACLU lawyers. The booklet says: "There simply is no reasonable basis to support the profiteering in attorney fee awards ordered by judges in these cases. The very threat of such fees has made elected bodies, large and small, surrender to the ACLU's demands to secularly cleanse the public square."

Australia Keeps Church-State Status Quo

Last week the Australian Senate, by a vote of 50-7 rejected a bill that would have changed church-state relations in the country. The proposal by Democrat leader Lyn Allison would have ended parliamentary prayer, ended preferential tax treatment for religious groups and removed religious references from oaths required of public officials. Catholic World News, reporting on the development, quotes Prime Minister John Howard who agreed with the Senate's rejection of the bill, as saying: "What the separation of church and state means in this country is that there is no established church as the official state religion. It doesn't mean that we abandon our Judeo-Christian heritage."

Muslim Prisoner Has Initial RLUIPA Win

In Hammons v. Jones, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7720 (ND Okl., Feb. 14, 2006), an Oklahoma federal district court held that under RLUIPA, a "substantial burden" on religious exercise occurs "when an individual is forced to significantly modify his or her religious behavior and violate his or her religious beliefs". It found that a change in a state prison’s policy that prevented Muslim inmates from receiving religious oils for use during prayers constituted a substantial burden on plaintiff prisoner’s free exercise rights, and ordered the state to introduce any evidence it had that the restriction was in furtherance of a compelling interest and was the least restrictive means available to vindicate that interest.

New York Attempts To Close Bars Too Near To Unknown Mosque

In 1982, in Larkin v. Grendel's Den, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Massachusetts liquor licensing law that gave churches (as well as schools) a veto power over the granting of liquor licenses to establishments located within 500 feet of church (or school) premises. The Massachusetts legislature had been concerned with "protecting schools and churches from the commotion associated with liquor outlets." While delegation of decison making to churches was a problem, the Court said that the "valid secular objectives [of the law] can be readily accomplished by other means - either through an absolute legislative ban on liquor outlets within reasonable prescribed distances from churches, schools, hospitals, and like institutions, or by ensuring a hearing for the views of affected institutions at licensing proceedings where, without question, such views would be entitled to substantial weight." Now, a controversy in New York City may test the limits of these holdings.

The Tribeca Trib this week reported that the New York State Liquor Authority has denied a license to one bar, and is threatening to close three others, because they are within 200 feet of Masjid al-Farah, a Sufi mosque. The problem, however, is that none of the bar owners knew that the mosque was there. Indeed some of the bars had been operating over 10 years without realizing the problem. The mosque's nondescript building has no signage on it indicating that it is a mosque. Moreover, mosque officials have no objection to the bars. The Liquor Authority asserted the violations of law after other neighbors objected to the noise and over-concentration of bars in the neighborhood. One bar owner has suggested a legal loophole-- he argues that Sufism is "more a philosophy" than a religion. The state's liquor law (Alcoholic Beverage Contol Law, Sec. 64) applies to establishments on the same street and within 200 feet of a building "occupied exclusively as a school, church, synagogue or other place of worship..."

Proposed Missouri Resolution Stirs Up Blogosphere

In the Missouri legislature, the House Rules Committee has recommended approval of House Concurrent Resolution 13 that declares:

we stand with the majority of our constituents and exercise the common sense that voluntary prayer in public schools and religious displays on public property are not a coalition of church and state, but rather the justified recognition of the positive role that Christianity has played in this great nation of ours, the United States of America.

One of the introductory "Whereas" clauses in the resolution declares, "our forefathers of this great nation of the United States recognized a Christian God and used the principles afforded to us by Him as the founding principles of our nation." The Resolution has been commented upon by more blogs than usual, in part because the first web posting about the resolution, by KMOV-TV, was headlined (inaccurately) "State Bill Proposes Christianity Be Missouri’s Official Religion".

Parliament May Remove Ban On Women As Bishops In Church of England

In Britain, the think-tank Ekklesia says that a bill will be introduced into Parliament later this month that would permit the Church of England to consecrate women as bishops. Labour MP Chris Bryant, who was formerly a curate in the Church of England, will introduce the amendment to the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993. That Act currently permits the ordination of women as priests, but not as bishops. Parliament cannot force the Church to consecrate women, but eliminating the current legal prohibition on such ordinations would show House of Commons approval of the idea. A month ago, the General Synod of the Church of England overwhelmingly backed consideration of a compromise plan that could see the ordination of women bishops by 2012.

County To Place "In God We Trust" On Court House

In Yadkin County, North Carolina last Thursday, the Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to put the National motto, "In God We Trust", on the north and west sides of the county courthouse. According to the Winston-Salem Journal, two people spoke against the move, but to no avail. After the vote, may of the 100 people present clapped and said "Amen". The U.S. Motto Action Committee will pay the $1500 cost of the display. David C. Gibbs Jr., founder of the Christian Law Association ("CLA"), has agreed to defend Yadkin County, without charge, against any lawsuits filed over the display of the motto. CLA's purpose is "to provide legal assistance to Bible-believing churches and Christians who are experiencing legal difficulty in practicing their religious faith because of governmental regulation, intrusion, or prohibition of one form or another," according to its Web site.

Plaintiff Claims Capital Punishment Tradition Parallels Biblical Episode

The Fayetteville Observer reports that a Raleigh, North Carolina judge has given the parties until Monday to file additional information in an unusual suit challenging North Carolina's death penalty. The suit, challenging capital punishment on various grounds, includes claims that the death penalty's administration violates Constitutional protections relating to religion. One of the more intriguing claims in the lawsuit focuses on the apparent tradition in the state of carrying out executions on Friday at 2 a.m., after giving the condemned prisoner a last meal on Thursday evening. Plaintiff Jim French says that custom is similar to the Biblical story of the death of Jesus, who held a Passover meal with his disciples on what Christians commemorate as Holy Thursday.

Furor Over Appointment To Illinois Anti-Discrimination Commission

In Illinois last August, Gov. Rod Blagojevich attempted to revive his Governor's Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes, originally created in 1999 to fight discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, skin color, gender, disability or sexual orientation. He appointed a new set of 26 commissioners. One of them was Sister Claudette Marie Muhammad, a member of the Nation of Islam. The Associated Press today reports on the problem that has created.

Even the Governor did not realize who Sister Muhammad was until last month, when she invited members of the Commission to attend a speech by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan who has often virulently attacked whites, Jews and gays. The invitation led two Jewish leaders on the Commission to resign in protest. Lonnie Nasatir, regional ADL director and Richard Hirschhaut, executive director of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, resigned, saying that the Commission has been compromised by Muhammad's appointment. Now there are calls for Muhammad to disavow Farrakhan's remarks, but many black lawmakers say this is unfair when other members are not held responsible for everything their religious leaders say. Muhammad issued a statement Wednesday supporting "fairness to all people regardless of race, creed, color, national origin or religious beliefs."

Anti-Evolution Litigation Hits Russia

Islam Online yesterday reported that a 15-year old Russian student, Masha Shraiber, and her father are suing to require Russian state schools to teach Creationism along with Darwin's theory of evolution. The suit, seeking a rewrite of textbooks, argues that teaching only evolution violates the freedoms of religion and conscience protected by the Russian Constitution. Plaintiffs in the case are being supported by three lawyers representing the Russian Orthodox, Muslim and Jewish communities, all of which support the teaching of Creationism.

Judge's Order To Remove Bible Does Not Invalidate Conviction

In State v. Albertson (Feb. 28, 2006), a Minnesota state court of appeals rejected a religious freedom claim brought by Mark Albertson in a challenge to his conviction for having sexual relations with his 13-year old niece. At trial, the judge had asked why a Bible was on the corner of counsel table. Defense counsel said that the Bible belonged to Albertson, and that counsel did not plan to use it for purposes of the trial. The judge then told Albertson to put the Bible on his lap or under his chair. The court of appeals held that the trial court had "a compelling interest of conducting a trial in a secular, impartial, orderly manner," and that justified the order to hide the Bible from view.

Canada Supreme Court Strikes Down Ban On Kirpans In Schools

The Canadian Press reports that yesterday the Supreme Court of Canada held that a Montreal school board violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Sec. 2.a., when it imposed a blanket ban on students' wearing of Sikh ceremonial daggers (kirpans). However, the court appears to have left open the possibility of reasonable safety restrictions, such as limits on the size of the kirpan or a requirement that it be kept sheathed. The case is Multani v. Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys, 2006 SCC 6 (March 2, 2006). While all 8 justices agreed that the ban was improper, 3 justices preferred to use an administrative law, rather than a constitutional, approach to the issue. Justice Charron's constitutional law opinion for 5 justices said: "A total prohibition against wearing a kirpan to school undermines the value of this religious symbol and sends students the message that some religious practices do not merit the same protection as others."The Montreal Gazette reported additional background. [Thanks to Derek L. Gaubatz for information.]

Greece Approves Cremation For Non-Orthodox

BBC News reported yesterday that, after a 10-year battle, the Parliament of Greece has finally enacted limited legislation permitting bodies to be cremated. The bill has been opposed by the Greek Orthodox Church, which considers cremation to be a violation of the human body. In deference to this, the legislation, as enacted, only applies to individuals whose religion permits cremation. Thus only the small number of people in Greece who are not Orthodox Christians will be able to take advantage of the new option.

Paper Chronicles Neighborhood Battle Centered On Orthodox Jews

Today's Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles carries a long report on the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, and its contentious battle over elections to the Midwilshire Neighborhood Council. The tension between Orthodox Jews and other residents of the area is an object lesson in the problem of creating political divisions along religious lines, and in the passions that are raised by religious land use disputes. The long and convoluted history of the area's intergroup tensions are difficult to summarize briefly. However, the article ends with cautious optimism that the competing factions may be beginning to cooperate.

Alito Thank-You To Dobson Raises Criticism

Just a month into his tenure on the U.S. Spreme Court, Justice Samuel Alito yesterday found himself embroiled in a controversy over a thank-you note he recently wrote.Alito responded to a letter of congratulations from Christian conservative Dr. James C. Dobson, with a note described by law professor Stephen Gillers as "inartful" and "clumsy". (New York Times article.) The full text of the letter is carried by the Colorado Springs Gazette. It reads in part:

This is just a short note to express my heartfelt thanks to you and the entire staff of Focus on the Family for your help and support during the past few challenging months.... As I said when I spoke at my formal investiture at the White House last week, the prayers of so many people from around the country were a palpable and powerful force. As long as I serve on the Supreme Court I will keep in mind the trust that has been placed in me. I hope that we’ll have the opportunity to meet personally at some point in the future.

Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State strongly criticized Alito's note, saying, "Justice Alito should follow the commands of the Constitution, not the orders of Dobson and the Religious Right." Reviewing the tempest on the blog Politcal Cortex, James Clarkson comments "what is missed in all the commentary so far is that Alito expressed a desire to meet with Dobson. Even if it is true that he sent out a number of thank you letters and that it was routine, does he also want to meet with these supporters?"

Democratic Catholic House Members Issue Statement of Principles

Religious News Service reports that 55 of the 72 Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday issued a "Statement of Principles" (full text). The statement emphasizes the broad social agenda of the Representatives and the primacy of conscience in their views on social issues:

We are committed to making real the basic principles that are at the heart of Catholic social teaching: helping the poor and disadvantaged, protecting the most vulnerable among us, and ensuring that all Americans of every faith are given meaningful opportunities to share in the blessings of this great country. That commitment is fulfilled in different ways by legislators but includes: reducing the rising rates of poverty; increasing access to education for all; pressing for increased access to health care; and taking seriously the decision to go to war. Each of these issues challenges our obligations as Catholics to community and helping those in need....

In all these issues, we seek the Church's guidance and assistance but believe also in the primacy of conscience. In recognizing the Church's role in providing moral leadership, we acknowledge and accept the tension that comes with being in disagreement with the Church in some areas. Yet we believe we can speak to the fundamental issues that unite us as Catholics and lend our voices to changing the political debate -- a debate that often fails to reflect and encompass the depth and complexity of these issues.

Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro said Catholic Democrats did not want to see Catholic faith defined solely by a "one-issue, very narrow right-wing agenda." Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, who is heading a bishops' task force on how to respond to dissenting politicians, said he had not yet seen the statement, but said he was willing to continue informal discussions with Catholics in both parties. [Thanks to Mirror of Justice for the lead.]

California School Will Not Excuse Absence For Ash Wednesday Service

In Bakersfield, California, parent Nona Darling is complaining to school authorities about policies that make it difficult for children to miss school for religious holidays. Darling wanted to take her children out of school at noon on Ash Wednesday to attend services. However, the school said that if she did, the children would be given an "unexcused" absence. The Bakersfield Californian yesterday said it is not clear to what extent the school's policy, that gives excused absences for doctor's appointments, sickness, and funerals, but only in limited situations for religious observances, reflects the state's education code.

No Federal Court Jurisdiction In Priest Abuse Case

Earlier this month, a Colorado federal district court issued a potentially important jurisdictional decision in another of the long-running clergy sexual abuse cases. It refused to permit the Archdiocese of Denver to remove to federal court a claim originally filed against it in state court. In Doe v. Archdiocese of Denver, (D Colo., Feb. 9, 2006), the court held that there is no federal court "federal question" jurisdiction over a claim that the Archdiocese of Denver was negligent in employing and supervising two offending priests. The court held that the case does not pose First Amendment issues. The court said "the defendants' duty, if any, arises not out of their special status as religious authorities but rather out of their decision to join the host of employers in all fields who must exercise reasonable care in their hiring and supervisory decisions."

More Prisoner Free Exercise Cases

The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the grant of summary judgment to Georgia Department of Correction employees in Boxer X v. Donald, (11th Cir., Feb. 28 2006). The court held that providing prisoners with a generic religious service for a given religion and not a separate service for each denomination or sect is reasonably related to the legitimate penological interest in not overburdening state resources. The court rejected both plaintiff's free exercise claim and his claim that other religions received preferential treatment.

In Shaw v. Frank, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7231 (ED Wis., Feb. 15, 2006), a Wisconsin federal trial court held that allegations by a prisoner sufficiently stated free exercise and RLUIPA claims to permit his case to proceed. Terrence J. Shaw alleged that Wisconsin prison authorities terminated him from participation in sex offender treatment because of his religious beliefs, belittled and forced him to engage in exercises contrary to his religious beliefs during sex offender treatment, and refused to allow him to use his religious name.

In Shabazz v. Martin, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7207 (ED Mich., Feb. 9, 2006), a federal district judge accepted earlier findings by a magistrate judge that a prisoner's free exercise claims are not moot and that he adequately asserted equal protection claims. Plaintiff alleged that the use of prayer rugs and pendants by Nation of Islam religious members was prohibited, while members of other Islamic faiths were permitted to possess these items. He also alleged that he was denied transfer to another prison consistent with his security classification because of his membership in the Nation of Islam. The magistrate's recommendations are reported at 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 40657 (ED Mich., Oct. 11, 2005).

7th Circuit Denies Stay Of Order Against Sectarian Prayer In Indiana House

In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has refused to stay the judgment of the district court that enjoined the Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives from permitting further sectarian prayer at the beginning of House sessions. The majority in the 7th Circuit concluded: "In assessing the Speaker's chance of success on the merits of his appeal and in balancing the slight and temporary injury he faces absent a stay, we must conclude that the Speaker has not met his burden of establishing that a stay ought to be granted." The full text of the 18-page majority opinion and 3-page dissent in Hinrichs v. Bosma (7th Cir., March 1, 2006) is available online. Yesterday's Chicago Tribune reports on reactions to the refusal.

US Muslim Group Says Closing Charities Interferes With Religious Duties

A Muslim coalition group yesterday sent a letter to Treasury Secretary John Snow complaining that actions against Muslim charities have interfered with the religious obligation of American Muslims to help the needy. In the wake of federal action last week to freeze assets of the Toledo, Ohio-based charity KindHearts, the Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections has requested a meeting with Secretary Snow. Federal authorities claimed that KindHearts was supporting Hamas terrorism in the Middle East. Reporting on these developments, the Toledo Blade says that Islamic law requires Muslims to donate to charity and places restrictions on how donated funds can be distributed. Secular American charities usually do not meet the requirements of Islamic law.

Private Town Planned Around Christian Teachings

Domino's Pizza founder Thomas S. Monaghan is setting the stage to test the limits of old Supreme Court precedent, like Marsh v. Alabama, that held privately owned towns may nevertheless be subject to restrictions of the First Amendment. To be build around Ave Maria University, east of Naples, Florida, the new town will be developed through a partnership with the Barron Collier Co., an agricultural and real estate firm, according to the Associated Press. It will be set on 5,000 acres with a European-inspired town center, and will encircle a massive church and a 65-foot tall crucifix. The most controversial part of Monaghan's plans, however, is his notion that various kinds of goods and services that are inconsistent with strict Catholic principles will not be available in the town. He envisions that local stores will not sell pornographic magazines, pharmacies will not carry condoms or birth control pills, and cable television will carry no X-rated channels.

UPDATE: In an interview on Friday with the Associated Press, Thomas Monaghan qualified many of his earlier statements. He said that mandatory restrictions will be limited to Ave Maria University. The town will be open to anyone, but it will be suggested to businesses that they not sell adult magazines or contraceptives. The town will not restrict cable television programming, and, according to the town's developer, it will not discriminate on the basis of religion, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

TRO Denied In Challenge To Navy's Chaplain Selection System

In Adair v. England, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7367 (D DC, Feb. 28, 2006), the DC federal district court refused to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent the Navy from discharging plaintiff Michael Belt and other naval chaplains from active duty, finding that they were unlikely to succeed on the merits and had not show irreparable injury. A group of evangelical chaplains who are plaintiffs in the long-running litigation charged that the Navy maintains an unconstitutional religious quota system that favors hiring, promoting and retaining chaplains from liturgical Christian denominations at a rate greater than the liturgical Christians' representation among all Navy personnel. They also challenge the Navy's chaplain-promotion system, including placing more than one Catholic chaplain on promotion boards, the use of chaplains to rate other chaplains, the application of "faith group identifier" codes, and the general domination of the boards by liturgical Protestant and Catholic chaplains.

Church-State Tensions In Spain

Today's Washington Post carries an article about the growing tensions in Spain between the government of Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and the Catholic Church. Zapatero blocked mandatory religious classes in public schools, and announced that his government would relax abortion laws, ease restrictions on divorce, legalize gay marriage and permit gay couples to adopt children. In response, the archbishop of Madrid called the Spanish capital "a hotbed of sin."

Government spokesman Fernando Moraleda said, "This is a government that is deeply secular and reform-oriented," and it must adapt Spain to its position as a modern member of the European Union. Church supporters say Zapatero's government is anti-clerical and out of touch with Spanish society, which is more than 80 percent Catholic. Government moves aim at changing the constitutional balance between church and state that was created under Spain's 1978 Constitution, adopted after the death of the longtime dictator Gen. Francisco Franco. Clashes between the Spanish left and the church helped propel Franco to power during the 1936-39 Spanish Civil War.

Anti-Evolution Proposals In the West-- One Dies While Another Is Born

In the western part of the United States, one skirmish against evolution has died while another is being born. In Utah on Monday, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, the House of Representatives rejected by a vote of 46-28 a bill that would have required teachers to tell students that evolution is not a fact and that the state does not endorse evolution. SB 96 had been passed by the state Senate after some conservative senators criticized what they called the "religion of atheism." The House, led by Rep. Stephen Urquhart, redrafted the bill to try to eliminate any religious references. By the time it was finally voted on, the bill merely provided "The State Board of Education shall establish curriculum requirements relating to scientific instruction." Then the House defeated even that as a way of stopping the Senate from reviving the issue.

Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Sun reports that in Nevada on Tuesday, masonry contractor Steve Brown filed an initiative petition with the secretary of state's office. His proposal would require that students, by the end of the 10th grade, be informed that "although most scientists agree that Darwin's theory of evolution is well supported, a small minority of scientists do not agree." Several "areas of disagreement" would have to be covered in class, including the view by some scientists that "it is mathematically impossible for the first cell to have evolved by itself." Students also would have to be told some scientists argue "that nowhere in the fossil record is there an indisputable skeleton of a transitional species, or a 'missing link'", and "be informed that the origin of sex, or sex drive, is one of biology's mysteries" and that some scientists contend that sexual reproduction "would require an unbelievable series of chance events".

Brown will need to collect 83,184 signatures by June 20 to get his plan on the November ballot, and will have to get voter approval both this year and in the 2008 elections for the amendment to be finally adopted.

School Can Remove Religious Postings From Teacher's Classroom

In Lee v. York County School Division, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7114 (ED Va., Feb. 23, 2006), a Virginia federal district court rejected free speech and equal protection claims by William Lee, a Spanish teacher at York County's Tabb High School whose principal removed religiously oriented material that Lee had posted on his classroom bulletin board. The decision focused on precedent holding that the content of curricular speech by a teacher is subject to control by the school. The court also found that the school had not made its bulletin boards limited public forums; thus the school could regulate their content. (See prior posting.)

The Associated Press report on the case indicates that Lee's postings included news articles about President Bush's religious faith and former Attorney General John Ashcroft's prayer meetings with his staffers; a flier publicizing the National Day of Prayer; and a depiction of George Washington praying at Valley Forge.

UPDATE: Steve Taylor, attorney for teacher William Lee, says he will appeal the decision to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Board Committee Meeting On Textbook Depiction of Hindus Is Contentious

The battle between competing groups in the Hindu community over how their religion should be portrayed in school textbooks in California culminated in an emotional 4-hour hearing in Sacramento yesterday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. (See prior posting.) The hearing ended with a few members of the overflow audience shouting at a subcommittee of the state Board of Education after it rejected changes they wanted in six new middle-school social studies textbooks . The Vedic Foundation and Hindu Education Foundation are seeking to remove or soften references to the untouchable caste and the subordinate status of women in India. Knight Ridder News in reporting on the meeting says that the special commission did accept a few proposed changes, like changing language that referred to a "caste system" to "class system. The committee will report its conclusions to the full Board on March 8.