Daily Archives: October 30, 2009

The September 2009 edition of the Community Defense Reporter is now available online at the Community Defense Counsel.

Christian Newswire: “Planned Parenthood sued the State of Missouri this week to challenge two pro-life ballot initiatives, in an apparent effort to stifle the people’s constitutional right to the ballot process.”

Tallahassee.com: “City Hall chambers erupted in cheers and applause Wednesday after the Tallahassee City Commission unanimously voted to change its benefits policy to include same-sex and domestic partnerships.”

Focus on the Family: “Focus on the Family Founder and Chairman Emeritus James C. Dobson, Ph.D., will leave the ministry as its primary radio voice at the end of February, the ministry announced today.”

LifeSiteNews: “A video released by the Heritage Foundation blog appears to show Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak, whose efforts against the health care bill’s abortion expansion had emerged as the pro-life community’s primary strategy in the House, admitting that he would ultimately vote for the health bill even with government-funded abortion if it otherwise met his standards.”

LifeSiteNews: “Recently issued physicians’ guidelines from the UK’s Department of Health ignore the fact that abortion is illegal in Northern Ireland and presume that abortion is a legitimate form of healthcare for women say pro-life campaigners, who are in court today arguing their side of the issue.”

The Hill: “A House Democratic leader strongly hinted Friday that amendments won’t be allowed on the healthcare bill.”

Regent Law Professor Lynne Marie Kohm, writing at the Regent Law Family Restoration blog: “Well, I can tell you why ADF is more competent in this representation than most attorneys – because of the excellent litigation training provided to attorneys around the globe in ADF’s National Litigation Academies (NLA) and their annual Blackstone Legal Fellowship program. And a large number of those ADF attorneys today are Regent Law graduates.”

How Appealing links to the ruling Watson v. Geren, No. 07-2563 (2nd Cir. Oct. 30, 2009)

CNN: “‘I think President Obama has used the bully pulpit as a way to attack capitalism,’ he said, according to LegalNewsline.com.”

Tracking American Evangelical Politics: “The Alliance Defense Fund reports that the University of Florida has ended its discriminatory treatment of a Christian fraternity, thanks in large part to a lawsuit filed by the ADF and the Christian Legal Society.”

Christianity Today: “One undoubted factor in the search for better relations is that evangelicals and Mormons today unite on various moral issues and feel on the defensive, especially in shared opposition to same-sex marriage. Whatever differences they may have about the nature of God, ‘when you’ve been in the trenches together, it often generates new respect,’ said evangelical attorney David French, who leads the Alliance Defense Fund’s (ADF) campus religious freedom project. ‘The LDS commitment to core values is one that betters our country, without question.’”

OneNewsNow: “A federal judge has thrown out a Chicago lawsuit against Craigslist . . . ‘He suggests that Craigslist is without any liability whatsoever for hosting a portion of their website titled “erotic” and another one called “adult” that are filled with prostitution ads,’ Trueman explains. ‘Yet the judge says they have no responsibility for the ads that are placed there.’”

Washington Blade: “Alliance Defense Fund attorneys Cleta Mitchell and Austin Nimocks reiterated arguments made in June — that the board misinterpreted the election law and that existing city law requires the board to approve a marriage initiative for the ballot in 2010. ‘Clearly, the people still have the right to legislate on this through an initiative,’ Mitchell said. ‘The Human Rights Act doesn’t nullify the marriage law. The two have coincided for more than 30 years.’”

Knoxville News Sentinel: “‘We are disappointed in the verdict,’ Kellum said. ‘We wanted a policy change, or a court ruling, and we still do not have either. We are still very much concerned that at any point in time, a school administrator can step in and say, “You can’t do that.”‘”

SDGLN.com: “Lambda Legal sent a letter yesterday to SkyWest and Delta Airlines warning the companies that their treatment of gay employees’ spouses and registered domestic partners violates not only the airlines’ own policies, but also California law.”

Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund have obtained a settlement from officials with the Rapid City Area School District in a lawsuit involving a pro-life group’s request to use a school auditorium for an after-school meeting.

A high school counselor who supports marriage between one man and one woman has been reported to a Maine licensing board because of his views.

Religion Clause Blog: “In different parts of the world this week, courts were examining the question of conscientious objector exemptions from military service . . . ”

AP: “States that allow gay marriage can’t force the federal government to provide benefits to those couples, the Obama administration argued Friday in court papers in a lawsuit by Massachusetts.”

AP: “On Friday a new U.N. Human Rights Committee report on Russia called for a series of sweeping legal reforms, saying the country is still struggling to guarantee some of the most basic rights, including to a fair trial, freedom of speech and freedom of the press.”

“Teenagers may think it’s harmless, but sending sexually explicit pictures and messages over cell phones can lead to emotional problems and criminal charges that will affect them for the rest of their lives, criminal justice officials said.”

AP: “Bigamy charges against the leader of the House of Yahweh religious sect in West Texas have been dropped as part of a plea agreement.”

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