Daily Archives: April 21, 2010

Catholic Culture: “An Irish doctor is facing possible disciplinary action because he declined to provide fertility treatment for an unmarried couple.”

TheOtherRussia.org: “The Prosecutor General of Russia announced today that it has declared the works of Scientology founder and fantasy writer L. Ron Hubbard as extremist, hence banning their distribution . . . ‘Specialists in the fields of psychiatry, psychology and sociology concluded that the materials presented for analysis are not acceptable to distribute, as they undermine the traditional spiritual basis of the lives of citizens of the Russian Federation . . . ‘”

Wikipedia: Scientology and psychiatry

Stars and Stripes focuses on the issue here by looking at benefits, bunks, jobs, worship, and training. Greg Scott of the Alliance Defense Fund is quoted: “Much of the military’s sensitivity training is conducted by chaplains . . . and a chaplain who believes that homosexual behavior is harmful and sinful can hardly train people to accept it.” Bob Maginnis of the Family Research Council is also quoted.

Huffington Post: “They are the catalytic generation,” said Eboo Patel, the executive director of Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Core and member of a White House faith-based advisory board. ‘The earlier generations built the private institutions: mosques, schools, places to get married, have funerals. This generation will have a huge focus on public institutions.’ The young activists’ work appears to be gaining traction, particularly in the Chicago area, which experts estimate has nearly half a million Muslims, one of the largest concentrations in the country. Activists have launched ‘Illinois Muslim Action Day,’ where Muslims, mostly youth, act as legislative pages and meet with lawmakers at the State Capitol in Springfield . . . ”

Reuters: “A U.S. Muslim group has issued a dire Internet ‘warning’ to creators of the satirical animated TV show ‘South Park’ over a depiction of the Prophet Mohammad in a bear outfit.”

Washington Times: “Students at a Texas college are demanding that their diplomas not be dated ‘in the year of Our Lord,’ prompting school officials to consider removing that phrase while leaving what others consider another obvious reference to Christendom — the school’s name, Trinity University . . . Senior Sidra Qureshi, a Muslim student and president of Trinity Diversity Connection, started a petition that requested that students have the option of having the words removed from their diplomas.” | Via Al Mohler.

Kentucky.com: “A potential compromise that would allow charter schools in Kentucky is gaining momentum in the Capitol and could even help resolve an impasse over the state budget . . . ”

Hat tip: Bluegrass Institute

i-Newswire: “Many who know Cathi Herrod only as the fast-talking head of Center for Arizona Policy (CAP) know only one side of the story. They know Herrod as she is today: strong, outspoken, and fiercely conservative. What many don’t know is her previous life as a liberal pro-abortion feminist . . . ”

PR Newswire: “Today, Liberty Institute, representing State Rep. Warren Chisum and former State Sen. Todd Staples, argued alongside the Texas Attorney General’s office in Dallas’ ‘same sex divorce’ case before the Dallas Court of Appeals. Liberty Institute challenged the legality of District Judge Tena Callahan’s decision to grant a divorce to a homosexual couple, citing that such action is unconstitutional under the Texas Constitution, which does not recognize same-sex marriages or civil unions.”

The Times-Picayune: “Rep. Charles ‘Bubba’ Chaney, D-Rayville, thought he had an innocuous bill when he arrived at the House Education Committee this morning. The Louisiana Family Forum and social conservatives had another idea, effectively forcing Chaney to abandon a proposal to change the process for choosing textbooks for Louisiana schools.”

The Blog of LegalTimes: “A White House official confirmed today that Judge Ann Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit is among about 10 people under consideration for the Supreme Court.”

Guardian: “David Cameron is to dispatch the most senior gay member of his frontbench team to Poland to encourage the Tories’ rightwing allies in the European parliament to abandon their homophobic views. In a move designed to defuse criticism in tonight’s leaders’ television debate that the Tories have allied themselves with extremists in the EU, Cameron has revealed that the shadow environment secretary, Nick Herbert, will attend a gay rights march in Warsaw in July.”

Boston Globe (AP): “Some members of Congress are condemning a federal judge’s ruling that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional.”

Tennessean.com: “The House of Representatives chamber at the state Capitol was transformed from a seat of secular power to a house of worship. Instead of elected officials, more than 70 preachers — black and white, Baptist and Presbyterian, Nazarene and Pentecostal — sat at legislators’ desks. They read Scripture, prayed and sang praises to Jesus. The impromptu service was part of the fourth annual Minister’s Day on the Hill, sponsored by the Family Action Council of Tennessee . . . ”

CNA: “Following criticism of his recent JFK speech by an Italian scholar, Archbishop Charles Chaput responded today, addressing each argument raised against his lecture. The prelate said that although he was grateful for the Italian professor’s comments, ‘he and I clearly differ’ not only on the implication’s of JFK’s 1960 speech, but also on the role of religion in American public life and the ‘proper understanding’ of separation of Church and state . . . ”

NewsMax: “Republican Sen. Jim DeMint is raising eyebrows within his own party by publicly announcing his support for conservative candidates the GOP has not officially endorsed.”

Blog of the Legal Times: “Schroeder won confirmation on a 72-24 vote to be assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy. The office helps the White House to vet and win confirmation of nominees for district and circuit court vacancies.”

Blog of the Legal Times: “A White House official confirmed today that Judge Ann Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit is among about 10 people under consideration for the Supreme Court.”

Newsmax: “The Arizona House has voted up a measure that would require President Barack Obama to show his birth certificate if he wants to be on the state’s ballot when he runs for reelection, according to a report by KPHO.com.”

AP: “Urged on by first-year Republican Gov. Chris Christie as he tries to cut spending at all levels of government, voters rejected 59 percent of school budget proposals in local elections on Tuesday, sending them to municipal governing bodies for cuts.”

Sydney Morning Herald: “Australia will remain one of the few nations without a national charter of rights after the government decided not to adopt the key recommendation of its consultative committee . . . Gay rights groups are also disappointed they won’t have the opportunity to test the case for same-sex marriage in the High Court.”

The Hill: “The House ethics committee has launched a formal investigation of sexual harassment allegations against Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) . . . ”

Queerty (“the gay blog”): “Marisa Demeo Wins 15-Year Term to Lesbianify the D.C. Superior Court” “Marisa Demeo, the lesbian D.C. judge nominated by Obama to the D.C. Superior Court, and the nominee having waited the longest to go before the …

CBN: “Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Secular Coalition of America are criticizing former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for her belief that America has a Christian history . . . ”

LifeNews: “Oklahoma became the 22nd state to file a lawsuit seeking to overturn the government-run health care bill President Barack Obama signed into law that funds abortions. Because state Attorney General Drew Edmondson refused to file suit, the Oklahoma legislature took it upon itself to do so.”

Economist Timothy Reichert writing at First Things: “With this essay, using the language and tools of modern social science, I will articulate the position that contraception is socially damaging. I will also demonstrate that contraception is in fact a sexist practice. Using straightforward microeconomic reasoning, I will unpack the behaviors engendered by artificial contraception. I will show that the contraceptive revolution has resulted in a massive redistribution of wealth and power from women and children to men.”

At the Volokh Conspiracy, Eugene Volokh brings our attention to this opinion: “. . . Muzzy v. Wilkins, 1 Smith’s (N.H.) 1 (1803) — a little-cited but very interesting case that illustrates how strong religious freedom and separation-of-church-and-state rhetoric and belief coexisted in at least some judicial minds of the era with strong support for certain kinds of government funding of religion . . . ”

William Dalrymple writing in The National Interest: “Much has now been written about the way that India is moving forward to return the subcontinent to its traditional place at the heart of global trade, but so far little has been said about the way these huge earthquakes have affected the diverse religious traditions of South Asia. For they, much like India, are rapidly changing as the region reinvents itself . . . The tensions come not only from the fractures inherent in globalization. Modernization within India is also destroying the local and varied flavors of Hinduism, swiftly turning it into a single—ofttimes politicized—religion.”

TechCrunch: “When questioned about Apple’s role as moral police in the App Store, Jobs responds that ‘we do believe we have a moral responsibility to keep porn off the iPhone.’ Better, is what he said next: ‘Folks who want porn can buy and [sic] Android phone.’”

Wirral News: “Wirral Council has demanded that David Cameron expel a Tory councillor – accused of making an allegedly homophobic comment on the internet – from the Conservative party.”

Guardian: “They may be unlikely human rights campaigners, but the owners of lap-dancing clubs have threatened to use the Human Rights Act, and if need be to go to the European court of human rights in Strasbourg, to protect their business . . . [F]rom this month, when the Policing and Crime Act 2009 amended local government legislation in England comes into force, councils can assume new regulatory powers over ‘sexual entertainment venues’, as the law now calls lap-dancing and pole-dancing clubs. Under the new rules, councils can force clubs to apply for a new sex establishment licence every year, just like a sex shop.”

Religion Clause Blog:  ”The U.S. Sentencing Commission announced on Monday that it has voted to send to Congress for promulgation several amendments to the Sentencing Guidelines.”

Religion Clause Blog: “In NBC-USA Housing, Inc.–Five v. Levin, (OH Sup. Ct., April 12, 2010), the Ohio Supreme Court held that a federally subsidized apartment complex for low-income tenants operated by the National Baptist Convention (NBC) and a local church does not qualify for the property tax exemption under Ohio Rev Code 5709.12(B).”

ADF attorney Austin R. Nimocks appears in this CBN News Video along with Tony Perkins of FRC and Regent Law Professor Bradley Jacob to discuss the threat that ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act), legislation pending in Congress, poses to religious freedom.

The MP4 Video runs just over 5 minutes.

The Court rules that the calculation of an attorney’s fee may be increased if the lawyer has provided a superior performance but only in ‘extraordinary circumstances.’

Legalbrief: “Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba said the SA Law Commission had been asked to investigate the possibility of such a ban. Gigaba said the Film and Publications Amendment Act would assist the government in stamping out child pornography, especially during the World Cup.”

BBC: “[W]ith a closely fought election in the offing and a desperate fight taking place for marginal seats, might candidates become more open about their beliefs if it means a few more votes? . . . Christian Party leader George Hargreaves said: ‘Most of our general election candidates are in marginal seats. We can have a king-maker effect, depending on what message we want to send out.’”

AP: “Navy Secretary Ray Mabus (MAY’-buhs) says he’s getting little or no resistance inside the Navy since announcing he’s going to let women serve aboard submarines.”

The Botswana Gazette: “Roman Catholic Church, Botswana, has launched a campaign aimed at raising awareness against the likelihood of human trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and children during the World Cup football tournament in South Africa.”

The Globe and Mail: “The revision, outlined in 208 pages that were quietly posted on the Ministry of Education’s website in January, will for the first time teach Grade 3 pupils about such topics as sexual identity and orientation, and introduce terms like ‘anal intercourse’ and ‘vaginal lubrication’ to children in Grades 6 and 7. The new curriculum begins in Grade 1 with lessons about the proper names of body parts.” | National Post

Yahoo (AP): “French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday ordered legislation that would ban women from wearing Islamic veils that hide the face in the street and other public places.”

AP: “‘I will say the same thing that every president has said since this issue came up, which is, I don’t have litmus tests around any of these issues,’ Obama told reporters when asked if he could nominate someone who did not support a woman’s right to choose. ‘But I will say that I want somebody who will be interpreting our Constitution in a way that takes into account individual rights. And that includes women’s rights.’”

Herald Sun: “Australian courts face difficulties in dealing with honour killing crimes and forced marriage cases, Chief Justice of the NSW Supreme Court James Spigelman says.”

Focus Information Agency: “The Islamic religious community in Macedonia (IVZM) accused the government of dividing people on religious basis, Macedonian Utrinski Vesnik reports on Wednesday.”

Compass Direct: “Family members of a Muslim woman who married a Roman Catholic here have threatened to kidnap the groom’s mother and sister and kill the newlyweds and other relatives, the Christian family members said.”

“The British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) criticized Israel for including pictures of the Western Wall in a tourism advertisement, claiming that the holy site is technically not located within the country’s borders, the Independent reported Wednesday.”

MercatorNet interviews David Eggebeen: “My most recent research shows that children, both girls and boys, do get additional benefits from their father. They not only add to what mothers do, but there is also evidence that fathers make some unique contributions . . . My own research shows that fathers uniquely influence their adolescent children. If the father has a poor relationship with his child at this age and does few activities with them, and if he has a low education level as well, it is more likely that both male and female adolescents will show signs of depression — regardless of what the mother is like. There is a similar effect with regard to teenage delinquency.”

WorldNetDaily: “U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, sent an unsolicited letter to a group of Christian activists and pastors to support their efforts in suing Attorney General Eric Holder over the ‘hate crimes’ law that President Obama signed into law late last year.”

Yahoo (AP): “Three bisexual men from the San Francisco area have filed a lawsuit claiming they were discriminated against during the Gay Softball World Series in the Seattle area two years ago.”

Memphis Daily News (AP): “Legislation that would prohibit Tennessee tax dollars from being used for abortion services is headed to the governor for his consideration.” | SB2686 / HB2681

CBC News: “The University of Calgary is threatening to expel a group of students who refused to move a graphic anti-abortion display on campus. The eight students, who took part in a Campus Pro-Life display, received letters from the school earlier this month advising that they had violated the non-academic misconduct policy.” | For more information see this ADF Alliance Alert compound tag: http://www.alliancealert.org/tag/country-canada+global-sanctity-of-life+topic-education/

The Canadian Press: “Former police detective Frank Chauvin returned his medal in protest over the 2008 appointment of abortion-rights activist Dr. Henry Morgentaler to the order.”

Daily Tar Heel: “Duke University junior Justin Robinette claims his sexual orientation was the reason for his impeachment Wednesday as chairman of Duke’s College Republicans.”

Religion Clause: “[A]n Arizona federal district court made the injunction permanent . . . [T]he court ordered the city to pay plaintiffs’ attorneys, Alliance Defense Fund, fees of $25,000.”

Milwaukee Magazine News Buzz: “‘Our University of Wisconsin state agencies should not be a training ground for abortionists,’ says Virginia Zignego, spokeswoman for [Pro-Life Wisconsin]. It’s getting legal assistance from the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a national legal group that opposes abortion and gay marriage.”

Evangelical Examiner: “Alliance Defense Fund attorneys report that on Monday, they secured a favorable decision on behalf of Phoenix churches, with the court ruling that the city of Phoenix cannot enforce its noise ordinance to prohibit sound generated in the course of religious expression . . . ‘Churches shouldn’t be targeted and punished for ringing their bells as a public expression of faith that’s been done for centuries,’ said ADF Senior Legal Counsel [Erik Stanley].” | ADF News Release

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Right On Blog: “Pro-Life Wisconsin is pushing the issue, reports the Badger Herald: The group, along with its outside legal help, the public-interest law firm Alliance Defense Fund, last week wrote to Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, requesting he look into the legality of UW’s arrangement.”

” . . . Universities have recently shown an odious habit of suppressing student groups that conflict with the prevailing orthodoxies. In the past, universities excluded anti-war, ACLU and homosexual groups, who then won the right to be on campus.”

WorldNetDaily: “A federal judge in Arizona has struck down a Phoenix noise ordinance against sounds generated by religious worship . . . ‘Churches shouldn’t be targeted and punished for ringing their bells as a public expression of faith that’s been done for centuries,’ said [Erik Stanley], senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, which worked on the case.” | ADF News Release

Christian Web News: “The Home School Legal Defense Association and members of the Alliance Defense Fund have been advising Christer and Annie Johansson on the ‘state-napping’ of their son as they were preparing to move to India, Annie’s home country . . . Roger Kiska Aliance Defense Fund attorney based in Europe said ‘What you have here is a socialist country trying to create a cookie cutter kid. This kind of thing happens too often where social workers take a child and then just keep him.’”

Attorneys and allied attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund will appeal an Arkansas judge’s decision to strike down a state law passed by voters to protect children who are adopted or placed into foster care

Arkansas’s Unmarried Couple Adoption Ban: Depriving Children of Families
Catherine L. Hartz, 63 Ark. L. Rev. 113 (2010)

“The purpose of this article is to explore the history of the Initiative in limiting the foster and adoptive rights of cohabitating couples in Arkansas and the arguments for and against the ban. In doing so, this article will explain why Initiated Act 1 is unconstitutional, and how it will have a detrimental effect on the best interests of children in foster care in Arkansas.”

Do We Want Activist Federal Judges Who Think They Have A Mandate To Right Wrongs?
Stephen Hochhauser, Esq., 36 Westchester B.J. 10 (2010)

“One approach to the issue of activism on the Supreme Court is to review, with the benefit of hindsight, important Supreme Court decisions where the Court sought to right past wrongs. Perhaps the three most significant Supreme Court constitutional decisions in the last century where the Court felt the need to change direction were Erie Railroad v. Tompkins, Brown v. Board of Education, and Roe v. Wade. It might be instructive to consider what the Courts would have done if the justices had curbed their wish to change direction and decided the cases solely on the basis of a dispassionate analysis of the facts and the law, with due regard for the intent of the framers of the Constitution.”

Moving Beyond Monkeys: The Expansion and Relocation of the Religious Curriculum Debate
Anna M. Sewell. 114 Penn St. L. Rev. 1067 (2010)

“This Comment addresses the extent to which public universities may strengthen their high school course requirements for admission without violating the constitutional rights of religious high school applicants. The Comment begins with the provision of background information on the status of American education, the legal and social precedent behind this educational movement, and pre-college curricula policies’ susceptibility to constitutional challenges. Next, the constitutionality of pre-college curricula policies will be examined under the Free Speech Clause, Religion Clauses, and Equal Protection Clause. The test case A.C.S.I. v. Stearns will also be briefly discussed. Lastly, the public policy considerations will be examined, and a suggested resolution will be proffered.”