Saturday, January 24, 2015

District Court Invalidates Alabama Same-Sex Marriage Bans

›
In Searcy v. Strange , (SD AL, Jan. 23, 2015), an Alabama federal district court invalidated Alabama statutory and constitutonal provisions ...

California Judicial Ethics Code Changed To Bar Judges From Membership In Boy Scouts

›
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, on Wednesday, the California Supreme Court approved a recommendation of an ethics advisory committee ...

Police Sued For Requiring Muslim Woman To Remove Hijab While Being Booked

›
The Detroit News reports on a lawsuit filed Thursday in a Michigan federal district court by a Muslim woman who was required by Dearborn He...
Friday, January 23, 2015

Judge Pressures Husband To Give Jewish Divorce Document

›
A New York trial court judge has again raised the issue of how far a civil court may go in pressuring parties in a divorce action to perform...

USCIRF Criticizes Pending Legislation In Burma

›
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in a press release yesterday strongly condemned a package of race and religion bills...

Legal Documents In Eruv Litigation Now Available Online

›
Beginning in 2011, individuals and groups opposed to Jewish organizations placing  eruvs  in three Long Island, New York towns have been inv...

Proposed Oklahoma Bill Would Eliminate Marriage Licenses

›
Oklahoma State Representative Todd Russ has introduced a bill into the Oklahoma legislature that would create a unique response to federal d...

Suit Seeks To Require Foreign Terrorist Designation For Hindu Nationalist Group

›
The Hindu reports that Sikhs for Justice filed a declaratory judgment action in a New York federal district court last week seeking to requ...
Thursday, January 22, 2015

Civil Rights Complaint With A Twist-- Baker Refuses To Add Anti-Gay Message To Cake

›
AP today reports on a complaint filed with the Colorado Civil Rights Division against bakery owner Marjorie Silva by a customer who wanted ...

Company Settles EEOC Suit; Rejected Rastafarian Applicant Gets $50K In Damages

›
The EEOC announced Tuesday that Mims Distributing Co., a Colorado-based beer distributor, has agreed to settle an EEOC suit filed against it...

Custody Provisions Did Not Violate Father's Free Exercise Rights

›
In Roderick v. Lynn ,  (WA App., Jan 20, 2015), a Washington state appeals court rejected a father's contention that provisions of a par...

FLDS Members Continue To Resist DOL Subpoenas On Religious Grounds

›
Since 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor has been investigating whether federal child labor and wage and hour laws were violated in the 2012...
Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Supreme Court Hears Arguments In Fair Housing Act Disparate-Impact Case

›
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. Inclusive Communities Project, Inc...

Cert. Denied In Dispute Over Characterization of Communications With Priest

›
The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday denied certiorari in  Roman Catholic Church of the Diocese of Baton Rouge v. Mayeux,  (Docket No. 14-220, c...
Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Some Thoughts On Today's Supreme Court Decision In Holt v. Hobbs

›
Today's Supreme Court decision in Holt v. Hobbs  (see prior posting ) is likely to lead to a dramatic increase in resources that federal...

Supreme Court Unanimously Upholds Muslim Inmate's Right To Grow Half-Inch Beard

›
Today in Holt v. Hobbs ,  (Sup. Ct., Jan 20, 2015), the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that the Arkansas Department of Corrections poli...

Indiana County Fights Creche Suit By Enacting Open Forum Law

›
The Batesville (IN) Herald-Tribune reports that last week the Franklin County, Indiana Commissioners passed Ordinance 2015-02 to create a pu...

St. Paul-Minneapolis Archdiocese Files For Bankruptcy Reorganization

›
On Friday, the Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Reorganization. In a letter ( full text ) ...

More Preliminary Details of Pope's September U.S. Visit Emerge

›
Preliminary details of Pope Francis' itinerary during his September visit to the United States are becoming known.  From a report by CBS...
Monday, January 19, 2015

Employee Who Objected To Biometric Scanning As Mark of the Beast Wins $150,000 Verdict

›
The Clarksburg Exponent Telegram reports that a jury in a West Virginia federal district court last Thursday awarded $150,000 in compensato...