Tuesday, April 07, 2026

Nevada Supreme Court Interprets Scope of Ecclesiastical Abstention Doctrine

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In Singh v. Second Judicial District Court of the State of Nevada ,  (NV Sup. Ct., April 2, 2026), a 3-judge panel of the Nevada Supreme Cou...

Church Challenges Injunction Barring Use of Its Property for Worship Services

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Suit was filed last week in a Florida federal district court by members and elders of the Coastal Family Church challenging a temporary inju...

California's Marriage Laws Survive Unusual 1st Amendment Challenge

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In Hunter v. State of California ,  (CD CA, March 31, 2026), a California federal district court accepted the findings, conclusions, and rec...

Extra Airport Screening from Placement on Selectee List Does Not Violate Religious Freedom

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In Maniar v. Noem ,  (D DC, April 1, 2026), a D.C. federal district court dismissed a suit brought by plaintiffs, husband and wife, who are ...

Exclusion of Religious Training from College Grant Program Is Upheld

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In Johnson v. Fleming , (ED VA, March 31, 2026), a Virginia federal district court dismissed Free Exercise Clause, Establishment Clause, and...
Monday, April 06, 2026

Military Rule Barring Political Speech While in Uniform Did Not Violate Reservists Free Exercise Rights Under RFRA

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In Yarbrough v. Saltzman ,  (D DC, April 3, 2026), a D.C. federal district court dismissed a claim by a major in the Air Force Reserve that ...

Recent Articles of Interest

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From SSRN: Carl H. Esbeck, Church Autonomy and the Co-Religionist Hiring Practice at Issue in Union Gospel Mission of Yakima v. Brown, 162 F...

Jehovah's Witnesses Tax Dispute Dismissed Under Tax Injunction Act and Comity Principles

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In Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses v. Township of Gloucester ,  (D NJ, April 1, 2026), a New Jersey federal district court...
Sunday, April 05, 2026

Churches Fail to Obtain Injunction Against Enforcement of Human Smuggling Law

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In Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America v. Finney , (MD TN March 31, 2026), a Tennessee federal district court r...

President Issues Easter Message

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On Friday, the White House posted a Presidential Message on Easter  ( full text ). The Message reads in part: This Easter Sunday, the First ...
Saturday, April 04, 2026

Noise Ordinance Is Constitutional as Applied to Anti-Abortion Sidewalk Advocacy

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In Knotts v. City of Cuyahoga Falls . (ND OH, March 31, 2026), an Ohio federal district court upheld the application of a noise ordinance to...

Church Wins Its Fight Over Fire Code Requirements

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Last November, an Ohio state appellate court remanded to the trial court a church's appeal of an injunction that had been issued against...
Wednesday, April 01, 2026

Court Orders Removal of Arkansas 10 Commandments Monument from State Capitol Grounds

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In Cave v. Jester , (ED AR, March 31, 2026), an Arkansas federal district court ordered the Arkansas Secretary of State to remove a Ten Comm...

Pastors' Defamation Suit Barred by Ecclesiastical Abstention Doctrine

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In Nieto v. Great Bridge Presbyterian Church, Inc.,   (VA App., March 31, 2026), a Virginia state appellate court held that the ecclesiastic...

Court Enforces EEOC Subpoena for Information on Jewish Employees at Penn

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In U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania,  (ED PA, March 31, 2026), a Pennsylvania fede...

Court Refuses to Issue Consent Decree Exempting Church Sermons from Johnson Amendment

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 As previously reported , in a suit brought against the Internal Revenue Service by two churches and two other non-profit religious groups c...
Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Supreme Court Strikes Down Most Applications of Conversion Therapy Ban

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In Chiles v. Salazar ,  (Sup.Ct., March 31, 2026), the U.S. Supreme Court in an 8-1 decision struck down most applications of Colorado's...

NY Judge Censured for Refusing to Perform Same-Sex Wedding

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In In re. Pitts-Davis , (NY Comm. Jud. Conduct, March 16, 2026), the New York Commission on Judicial Conduct censured a Syracuse City Court ...

Defense Secretary's Wartime Prayer Services Draw Criticism

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Last week, Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Defense Department see...

2nd Circuit: Claims by Judge Who Was Denied Covid Vaccine Exemption Are Dismissed

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In Mora v. New York State Unified Court System , (2nd Circuit, March 30, 2026), the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal...
Monday, March 30, 2026

Kansas Legislature Overrides Governor's Veto of Bill Protecting Anti-Abortion Pregnancy Centers

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On March 27, the Kansas legislature overrode Kansas Governor Laura Kelly's veto of House Bill 2635, thereby giving final approval to th...

DOJ Investigating California and Maine for Housing Transgender Women in Women's Prisons

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Last Thursday, the Department of Justice announced that it has notified the governors of California and Maine that DOJ is initiating investi...

Recent Articles of Interest

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From SSRN: Jeffrey R. Baker, The Church of Dissent in the Imperial Republic , (Anglican Theological Review (2026)). Manish Oza, Personificat...