Objective coverage of church-state and religious liberty developments, with extensive links to primary sources.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Gitmo Defendant Grills Judge On His Religious Affiliation
Muslim Group Asks Election Commission to Investigate DVD Distribution
The Clarion Fund that financed the DVD distribution is a non-profit corporation. The complaint also says that the founders and incorporators of Clarion are Israeli citizens connected with the Israeli educational group Aish HaTorah International. Yesterday, CAIR issued a press release discussing its complaint. The Guardian reported that a New York spokesman for Aish HaTorah said that Rabbi Raphael Shore, the producer of the video, was not acting for Aish HaTorah in his work on the DVD. Clarion says the DVD is issue-based, and not an attempt to promote any particular candidate.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
British Court Sentences Priest Who Refused To Pay Fine On Moral Grounds
Vietnam Tells Archbishop To End Catholic Land Protests
Tomorrow Is "See You At the Pole 2008"
UPDATE: The AP reports (9/24) Americans United executive director Barry Lynn says that teachers who participate in SYATP may be unconstitutionally endorsing religion. He also objected to pastors participating in the student-led events.
Illinois County Sign Ordinance Challenged
Monday, September 22, 2008
A Church-State Aside On the Proposed Financial Bailout
USCIRF Criticizes State Department For Failing To Update CPC List
Rome's Ceremony Marking End of Papal States Shows Current Church-State Divide
Recent Articles, Books & Movie of Interest
- Tsun Hang Tey, Excluding Religion from Politics and Enforcing Religious Harmony, (Singapore Journal of Legal Studies, pp.118-142, July 2008).
- Haemala Thanasegaran, Growth of Islamic Insurance (Takaful) in Malaysia: A Model for the Region?, (Singapore Journal of Legal Studies, pp.143-164, July 2008).
- Oren Gazal-Ayal & Raanan Sulitzeanu-Kenan, Let My People Go? Ethnic Bias of Jewish and Arab Judges in Pretrial Detention Decisions in Israel, (September 14, 2008).
- Andrew M.M. Koppelman, Corruption of Religion and the Establishment Clause, (William & Mary Law Review, Vol. 50, 2008).
- Cynthia Lee, Hate Crimes and the War on Terror, (in Hate Crimes: Perspectives and Approaches, Barbara Perry, ed., 2008).
- Nicholas M. Gaunce & Robert Luther, Deliver Us from Evil: Why Bankruptcy Judges May Properly Rely on the Free Exercise Clause & RFRA to Protect Church Property from the Grasps of Tort-Creditors, (Valparaiso University Law Review, Vol. 43, 2009).
- Lyman P. Q. Johnson, A Role for Law and Lawyers in Educating (Christian) Business Managers about Corporate Purpose, (U of St. Thomas Legal Studies Research Paper No. 08-22, Aug. 29, 2008).
From SmartCILP:
- Thomas Barfield, Culture and Custom in Nation-Building: Law in Afghanistan, 60 Maine Law Review 347-373 (2008).
- Jill Marshall, Conditions for Freedom? European Human Rights Law and the Islamic Headscarf Debate, 30 Human Rights Quarterly 631-654 (2008).
- Eric J. Segall, The Taxing Law of Taxpayer Standing, 43 Tulsa Law Review 673-696 (2008).
- John Witte, Jr. Prophets, Priests, and Kings: John Milton and the Reformation of Rights and Liberties in England, 57 Emory Law Journal 1527-1604 (2008).
Recent Books:
- Douglas W. Kmiec, Can a Catholic Support Him? Asking the Big Questions about Barack Obama, (The Overlook Press, Sept. 2008). (Excerpt on Beliefnet).
- Rodney Stark, What Americans Really Believe, (Baylor Univ. Press, 2008), reviewed in The Lariat.
New Movie:
- Bill Maher, Religulous (Lionsgate, Oct. 2008).
USCIRF Objects To Religious Groups' Invitation To Iranian President
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Nebraska Meat Packing Plant Faces Contentious Religious Accommodation Issue
The ... United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 22 announced a compromise that would allow Muslims to take breaks to pray and eat shortly after sunset. Then an estimated 1,000 non-Muslim workers, including Hispanics, whites and Christian Sudanese refugees — walked off the job on Wednesday. They were protesting what they viewed as unfair treatment favoring the Muslims. The compromise was withdrawn. About 50 to 80 Muslim workers then walked off the job Thursday, despite the threat of termination. When some tried to return to work Friday, they were told they had been fired.... JBS Swift officials said in a statement Friday they were working with employees and the union to resolve the problems.
Minister In Battle With Pennsylvania Town Over Use of Church For Homeless
Feds Raid Arkansas Church Headquarters In Child Pornography Investigation
Recently Available Prisoner Free Exercise Cases
In Joshlin v. Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 69385 (D AZ, July 22, 2008), an Arizona federal district court rejected a prisoner's complaint that his free exercise rights were violated when he was placed in segregation for having dreadlocks, and when authorities refused to provide him with a copy of the Quran or arrange religious visitations. He was told that if he wished to keep his non-pork religious diet, he must cut his hair because his Muslim faith does not prohibit cutting hair
In Stine v. Wiley, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 69699 (D CO, Sept. 16, 2008), a Colorado federal district court accepted a magistrate judge's recommendation to dismiss a prisoner's free exercise complaint that he was not permitted to watch religious television programing.
In Percival v. Office of the Governor, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70356 (SD TX, Sept. 10, 2008), a Texas federal district court dismissed as frivolous a claim by a Messianic Jewish inmate that requiring him to shave his beard infringed his free exercise rights.
Pakistan Church Wants Government To Intervene In Kidnapping Case
Saturday, September 20, 2008
House Bill Would Assure Right To Post Mezuzahs On Condo Unit Doors
a rule or policy that prevents a person from displaying, on the basis of that person’s religious belief, a religious symbol, object, or sign on the door, doorpost, entrance, or otherwise on the exterior of that person’s dwelling, or that is visible from the exterior of that dwelling, unless the rule or policy is reasonable and is necessary to prevent significant damage to property, physical harm to persons, a public nuisance, or similar undue hardship.Yesterday's New York Sun reports on the legislation that has three other co-sponsors.