Daily Archives: August 5, 2008

“Men are 57 percent less likely to regularly attend church if they are not married. Single women are 41 percent less likely to attend church than their married counterparts.”

Leonard Link has this post titled: Another Chapter in the Culture Wars: 3rd Circuit Panel Invalidates Former Temple University Sexual Harassment Policy. It discusses the 3rd Circuit’s Temple University speech code ruling.  The post indicates: Alliance Defense Fund is behind …

CNA reports: “Thousands of Catholics in two southern Philippines cities on Monday demonstrated against a government agreement granting Muslims more territory and political and economic powers.”

Jennifer Roback Morse has this article on Townhall. She writes: I propose a toast. Let me tell you why, and to whom. Here in San Diego, gay rights activists are organizing a boycott against the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel, an …

The Christian Post reports: In court papers filed Friday, Abbott urged the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the state’s required moment of silence, which a lower court has declared constitutional. “The United States Constitution plainly protects young …

The ADF Center for Academic Freedom has this post discussing its recent victory against Temple University’s speech code. Related: 3rd Circuit upholds ruling against Temple University “speech code” Temple: Another Court Decision Striking Down a Campus Speech Code

OneNewsNow.com reports: “Some ten protestors joined Otterstad and marched for about two hours late last week in front of the office that is part of a mammoth complex in downtown Sacramento, holding signs with sayings like ‘Jerry Brown perverts Prop. …

The AP reports: “Pope Benedict XVI urged China Tuesday to open up to Christianity as he visited the birthplace of a 19th century saint who died as a missionary there 100 years ago.”

Baptist Press reports: Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, called for action on the bill after a federal appeals court struck down a $550,000 fine by the Federal Communications Commission against CBS . . . Land …

Petoskey News reports: With some legal questions yet to be answered, Petoskey City Council members decided Monday to defer action on some proposed zoning rules for sexually-oriented businesses. Council members decided to have city legal counsel attend the next meeting, …

The WickedLocal reports: “In front of a packed and vocal crowd at Town Hall, the Board of Selectmen last night denied End Zone Sports Pub’s application for adult entertainment, saying it is outside a special zoning district.”

The ABA Journal reports: Seventy-seven percent of midlevel associates surveyed by the American Lawyer have student loan balances, and some of them owe in the six-figure range. About 16 percent report that they owe more than $100,000, the Am Law …

The Examiner.com reports: “Religious conservatives are hoping a referendum on a Montgomery County law protecting transgender people could become a template to repeal similar measures across the country.”

NPR has this report that begins: “For all of the countless times the presidential candidates have laid out their positions on the war, the economy and health care, there is one issue that they haven’t talked about much: gay marriage.”

Freedom From Religion Foundation objected to four specific aspects of the chaplaincy including the clinical focus of the Chaplain Service, the provision of pastoral care to VA outpatients; and the integration of spirituality/religion into VA treatment programs.

William Saletan fails to see the difference between taking a pill that is designed to stop pregnancy by any means necessary—including killing—and engaging in activities that are good or neutral in themselves and have nothing to do with targeting children.

The Pacific Justice Institute has issued this press release that reports: “A sixteen year old student enrolled in an independent study program through a private school was detained by the police while on his way to meet with a tutor. …

LifeNews.com reports: “A new poll shows a plurality of voters favor a measure appearing on the November ballot in Washington that would make the state the second to legalize assisted suicide. Only Oregon currently allows the grisly practice and I-1000 …

LifeNews.com reports: “An organization that is one of the leading research institutions on the physical, medical and mental health problems women face after abortion has launched a new web site to serve as a clearinghouse for post-abortion information. The Elliot …

“Organizations representing thousands of legal educators say they will boycott the Association of American Law Schools annual meeting in January if it is held at a San Diego hotel owned by a foe of same-sex marriage.”

LifeNews.com reports: “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is one of the leading abortion advocates in Washington, but she said in a recent interview that she has never been denied communion because of it. Unlike other pro-abortion politicians who have faced scrutiny …

Eugene Volokh has this post on the Volokh Conspiracy discussing yesterday’s 3rd Circuit ruling that upheld a lower court ruling which struck down Temple University’s speech code. Related ADF press release: 3rd Circuit upholds ruling against Temple University “speech code.” …

The Religion Clause reports that a missionary has been acquitted after being charged with proselytizing in violation of Greece’s restrictions for handing out copies of the Gospel of Luke. The post links to this Mission Network News report which contains …

The Religion Clause Blog reports on diverging approaches in Grand Junction and Mesa, Colorado to the question of invocations at city council meetings.

. . . the pro-life movement is actually trying to achieve two separate goals: first, preventing abortions in the short term; and second, creating a culture of life in the long term — instilling the values and attitudes in people . . .

The Bill is overtly about state intervention into people’s private lives by strongly promoting contraception and its enforced provision, state run sex education with potential undermining of parental influence, and denying conscientious objection.

The new orthodox history of abortion posits four theses: (1) that abortion was always a common practice in human history; (2) that voluntary early abortions were not crimes until the nineteenth century;

The Houston Chronicle reports: A legal appeal over a 2003 Texas law mandating a moment of silence for schoolchildren is heating up. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to hear the case this fall. Both sides have …

Julie Hilden has this commentary on Findlaw.  She writes: . . . The panel ruled in CBS’s favor. Unfortunately, however, its ruling is largely limited to the particular context of FCC policy as it stood at the time of the …

The Manila Times reports: The Supreme Court on Monday stopped the government from signing a peace agreement with Muslim separatist insurgents in southern Philippines, in another apparent setback to efforts to end nearly four decades of rebellion there. A temporary …

How Appealing links to this press release issued by the Colorado Dept. of Higher Education. Related: 10th Circuit: Colorado scholarship restrictions to students at “pervasively sectarian” schools held unconstitutional Rick Garnett: A Great Win for Religious Liberty – 10th Cir. …

Bruce A. Campbell reports on the Texas Lawyer: At some point, almost every child hears the phrase, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Usually, the admonishment is reserved for children who insult their siblings or …

“If voters approve a November ballot measure banning same-sex marriages in California, thousands of gay and lesbian weddings conducted since the state Supreme Court legalized the unions on May 15 will probably remain valid, Attorney General Jerry Brown said Monday.”

SCOTUS Blog reports: The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has now refused to issue a stay of the execution and has dismissed the latest state court challenge. Links to the Court’s order, along with separate opinions, can be found here. …

Within prison, however, religious programs should not be linked to a prisoner’s living arrangements or to other material benefits and should be offered in a manner that minimizes state involvement and the risk of coercion.

I conclude, as I have before, that if structured properly, faith-based units can pass constitutional muster.

Part II of the Article sets out a new model for determining the constitutionality of government funding programs in which religious organizations participate.

Part I examines the “faith factor” in prisoner rehabilitation, including the current involvement of religious organizations in prisoner rehabilitation and the question of whether faith transforms the lives of prisoners.

That analysis reveals the new Chief Justice as a careful and detached stylist who favors experience over theory in his opinions and who locates himself as the heir to a distinguished tradition of judicial skepticism.