Tag Archives: State: Georgia

Oklahoma’s House of Representatives is the first legislative body to pass a state sovereignty resolution this year under the terms of the Tenth Amendment.

Today’s Georgia Family Council Bulletin includes this report: A troubling new trend is sweeping middle schools and high schools across the country. Using a practice referred to as “sexting,” students are sending and receiving nude or partially-nude photos via cell …

Coastal Courier: Tru Playas owner Calvin Barrett said his thriving 10-year-old business will be severely impaired if he’s required to comply with the Liberty County commissioners’ proposed changes in the county’s adult entertainment ordinance. “If you change that ordinance … …

Maureen Dowry writes at the Atlanta Journal Constitution: Despite his influence in the state Senate, Republican Eric Johnson of Savannah lacks the statewide name recognition to clinch the lieutenant governorship next year. So, rather than resort to billboards or ads …

After long months of debate and hopeful prayer, thousands of Catholics received bitter news as Gwinnett County, Georgia commissioners voted early this month to rezone land to allow a solid waste transfer station to be built in the city of Norcross, adjacent to Holy Vietnamese Martyrs Church.

Liberty Counsel: “On Wednesday, a federal court approved a settlement of a lawsuit filed by Liberty Counsel on behalf of Child Evangelism Fellowship of Georgia (CEF) against Cobb County School District. The District had a discriminatory policy that denied equal …

The Atlanta J. Constitution: A powerful state lawmaker believes Georgia’s university system must not be too bad off financially if it can afford to employ experts in oral sex, male prostitution and “queer theory.” Rep. Calvin Hill (R-Canton) said the …

The Citizen: “The attempt by Kelly Rogers to open his Starship Adult Novelties and Gifts location at Thomas Crossroads evolved to another level earlier this week when Coweta commissioners in a called meeting adopted ordinances on sexually-oriented businesses and obscenity. …

CNSNews: “Republican senators who oppose the $819 billion economic stimulus plan passed in the House Wednesday declined to say whether they personally would lead a filibuster to try to stop the legislation in the Senate. But they said a filibuster …

AP: “A bipartisan group of Georgia lawmakers wants to slap a new fee on strip club patrons to help fund rehabilitation programs for child prostitutes and sex abuse victims . . . “

Liberty Counsel has issued this press release on the Standard Newswire that begins: Liberty Counsel filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Child Evangelism Fellowship of Georgia (CEF) against Cobb County School District, which has a discriminatory policy against religious …

Fulton County Daily Report: “After three consecutive years of raising associate pay, many of Atlanta’s big firms have slammed on the brakes. Some have reduced or deferred annual raises, while others have frozen associates’ base compensation at 2008 levels as …

TheCitizen.com: If a business such as Starship Enterprise tried to locate in Peachtree City, its options would be limited by zoning laws. By city ordinance, any store selling adult sex toys would be considered a “sexually oriented business.”

A photographer has been arrested in Winchester on child pornography and drug charges after a meeting with undercover investigators.

In 36 years, 50,000,000 children have died as a result of legalized abortion in the United States. There is no visible monument capable of handling the scope of these deaths. Georgia Right to Life wants to correct this injustice . . .

The Ledger-Enquirer.com reports: Georgia strip club patrons could soon be slapped with a new “pole tax” to help offset steep state budget cuts hitting programs for sex abuse victims. State Sen. Jack Murphy, a Republican from Cumming, said Monday he’s …

ADF attorney David French writes on National Review’s Phi Beta Cons Blog: In March 2006 two brave Georgia Tech students, Orit Sklar and Ruth Malhotra, launched a challenge to several unconstitutional policies at the school. These policies included a speech …

Mr. Delaney, who said he has found true happiness in ministry, six years of marriage and two children, is part of a contested movement in the United States: sexual conversion, or “reparative” therapy.

Jeffrey Alan Wasley, 37, of Marietta, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of producing and receiving child pornography. Wasley is scheduled for an initial appearance/bond hearing/arraignment on December 30, 2008.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution: A Douglasville woman was jailed Tuesday after a judge found her in contempt of court for refusing to remove her hijab, the head covering worn by Muslim women. Lisa Valentine, also known by her Islamic name, …

The Calhoun Times reports: The proposed ordinance, which is modeled after similar ordinances adopted by other municipalities, sets a $1,500 license fee for such businesses, prohibits the sale of alcohol, prohibits patrons from touching or tipping the entertainers and would …

Citizen Link carries this article that begins: Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears has served on the Georgia Supreme Court since 1992, when she became the first woman and youngest person — at age 36 — to serve on the court. …

Religion Clause Blog has this post discussing Smith v. Angel Food Ministries, Inc., 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 98280 (MD GA, Dec. 4 2008).  “The court held that whether the religious exemption is available is not a ‘jurisdictional’ question.”

AP: “Fresh off a win in his U.S. Senate runoff, Georgia Republican Saxby Chambliss is calling on his party to return to its conservative roots.Chambliss beat Democrat Jim Martin 57 percent to 43 percent . . . ” Fox News: …

The AP reports: Georgia voters returned to the polls Tuesday to decide one of two unresolved U.S. Senate races that Democrats need to win for a 60-seat majority impervious to GOP filibusters. Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss faces Democrat Jim …

OneNewsNow.com reports: “Today the state of Georgia will hold a critical runoff that could move Democrats closer to a filibuster-proof majority in the U.S. Senate. Incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss finds himself in a runoff with Democratic challenger Jim Martin after …

The Calhoun Times reports: “Calhoun city officials said a draft Adult Entertainment Ordinance would regulate such businesses inside the city limits but could not totally prohibit them. The proposed ordinance is modeled after similar ordinances in other cities, said William …

. . . a recent report on the taxpayer costs of divorce and unwed childbearing estimated that cost to taxpayers of family breakdown in Georgia exceeds nearly $1.46 billion a year . . .

LifeNews reports: “There is a silver lining in the troubled economic times for pro-life advocates in Georgia as Planned Parenthood of Georgia (PPGA) has lost a massive grant from the state. As the state government cuts spending as a result …

Toccoa city commissioners have made operating a sexually oriented business in the city a little more expensive.

Whether invocations of “Lord of Lords” or “the God of Abraham, Issac, and Mohammed” are “sectarian” is best left to theologians, not courts of law. We affirm.

The AP reports: “A woman drove her troubled 12-year-old son from Georgia to Nebraska and abandoned him under the state’s unique safe-haven law, which parents have used to leave 20 children at hospitals since the law took effect in July  …

The Atlanta J. Constitution reports:  Some students burst into tears when a high school biology teacher told them they’d be studying evolution. Another teacher said some students repeatedly screamed “no” when he began talking about it. Other teachers said students …

ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman: “Federal law does not allow a city to put a desire for property tax revenue ahead of the right of a church to meet in a facility that it rightfully occupies.”

Southern Voice reports: Three state lawmakers have asked a federal judge to dismiss a discrimination lawsuit filed against them by a former employee who alleges she was fired after announcing her gender transition. Vandiver Elizabeth Glenn claims she was fired …

How Appealing reports that the Georgia Supreme Court has ruled that a suit brought by parents alleging that a child hood vaccine caused neurological damage to their child can go forward. “In a landmark decision, the state high court unanimously …

Alliance Defense Fund allied attorneys filed suit Thursday against the city of Atlanta for refusing to permit a church to use its leased property for religious purposes.

The AP reports: “Georgia’s top court has ruled in favor of a transgender politician sued by two political opponents who claimed she misled voters by running as a female.” The five page opinion, Fuller v. Thomas, No. S08A0898 (Ga. Oct. …

This Note examines the interplay between a publicly-funded school choice program in Georgia and controlling constitutional obligations and provides guidance for the inevitable expansion of school choice in Georgia.

The windowless building that once housed the town’s only strip club sits empty in the middle of a sprawling gravel parking lot, made all the uglier by the scars from its final party.

The American Civil Liberties Union is asking the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to tell private citizens how and what they can pray before meetings of the Cobb County, Georgia, Board of Commissioners.

Al.com reports: Civil liberties attorneys Wednesday urged a federal appeals panel to block a suburban Atlanta county from allowing clergy to open meetings with Christian prayers, although the judges seemed reluctant to overturn a lower court’s ruling upholding the practice. …

Civil liberties attorneys Wednesday urged a federal appeals panel to block a suburban Atlanta county from allowing clergy to open meetings with Christian prayers, although the judges seemed reluctant to overturn a lower court’s ruling upholding the practice.

The Sun News reports: She was living in Milledgeville when her neighbor, who danced nude at Cafe Erotica, had car trouble and asked Simms to give her a ride to work . . . “One thing led to another and …

Entice Adult Superstore will drop plans to appeal a ruling upholding Floyd County’s sexually oriented business ordinance under a settlement agreement accepted Tuesday by the Floyd County Commission.

The Macon Telegraph reports: “Once she reached Atlanta, however, she found herself working in a massage parlor with false travel documents. She was forced to prostitute herself to a quota of 20 men to repay traffickers about $80,000 in exaggerated …

The Southern Voice reports: “[Keisha] Waites, who is running her fifth campaign in eight years, came within 31 votes of Ralph Long III during the July 15 primary as they emerged as the frontrunners of a six-person race to replace …

The AP reports: “A small town in northeast Georgia has bought a strip club, but it’s not planning to get into the adult entertainment business . . . Lavonia’s mayor got a standing ovation when he announced the deal at …

The Religion Clause Blog reports: “Mark Dice, leader of a Christian group known as The Resistance, is pressing the town of Elberton, Georgia to remove a 19-foot tall granite monument that sets out ‘ten guidestones’ to an age of reason …

Jonathan D. Crumley has this article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. It begins: Letting the facts do the talking seems to be a lost art among university bureaucrats today, at least at Georgia Tech. Honesty takes a back seat to …

The Calhoun Times reports: The Calhoun City Council voted to put a moratorium on business licenses for adult entertainment establishments in order to review and update the current ordinances. The ban is scheduled to last for 120 days while city …

http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4618 ALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND NEWS RELEASE July 23, 2008 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT ADF MEDIA RELATIONS: (480) 444-0020 or www.telladf.org/pressroom Court refuses to reconsider ruling against Georgia Tech Judge notes university’s “lack of candor throughout litigation” in lawsuit filed …

Macon.com reports: “Macon police have arrested a dozen people in a second phase of an ongoing investigation into Macon’s massage parlors . . . Two women in last week’s operation also were charged with sodomy and sexual battery, Burns said.”

Lambda Legal has issued this press release that begins: “Today Lambda Legal announced a federal lawsuit against Georgia General Assembly officials on behalf of Vandy Beth Glenn, a transgender woman who was fired from her job as a Legislative Editor …

The city of Atlanta’s Zoning Review Board voted unanimously July 10 to revoke the permit of a Grant Park facility that was licensed to provide transitional housing for people living with HIV/AIDS, but which has instead been operating as a drop-in community center for black gay youth.

The Christian Post reports: Georgia pro-lifers were encouraged Tuesday after residents of the state’s fastest growing county voted overwhelmingly in support of an amendment to the Georgia State Constitution that would grant the paramount right to life to “each human …

The Atlanta J. Constitution reports: . . . At age 17, while a high school sophomore, Whitaker had oral sex with a 15-year-old male classmate. In 1997, she pleaded guilty to sodomy and got five years’ probation. Whitaker, 28, has …

The Atlanta J. Constitution reports: . . . Across Atlanta they stood, orange signs with black letters that read “Men At Work” or “Men Working Ahead.” Sometimes, the signs stood next to women working alongside the men. Good demanded Atlanta …

ABC reports: “A Georgia father of Pakistani descent allegedly strangled his 25-year-old daughter because she wanted to get out of an arranged marriage to a man she had not seen in months, according to police in Clayton County, Ga.”

11Alive.com reports: “Five people have been accused of bringing women to Atlanta from Mexico and then forcing some of them to become prostitutes, sometimes servicing between 20 to 30 men a night, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Monday . . …

The AP reports: Five sex offenders filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming that a tough new Georgia law that bans them from volunteering at churches also robs them of their right to participate in religious worship. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. …

NBC Augusta reports: Tuesday owners of X-Mart will protest a recent decision by city leaders to deny the company a business license. Opponents of the adult entertainment store also plan to protest. Many opponents of the store will appear at …

LifeNews.com reports: “A Georgia woman who lied to abortion center officials and signed parental notification papers claiming to be the mother of a teenager is heading to prison. Cindi Cook, 44, claimed she was the mother of her 16-year-old son’s …

A Georgia court granted a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the city of Suwanee Friday, allowing construction of a Catholic elementary school to begin.

There has been a major development in the State of Georgia yet the so-called mainstream media has completely ignored it and even the alternative media hardly has covered it. This past week Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed into law the most expansive school-choice program in the nation . . .

Georgia school leaders were so shocked by dismal scores on state math and social studies tests, the state superintendent released a statement Monday to prepare parents and others for the results . . .

Channel 2 cameras were there as the DeKalb Vice Squad made six new arrests as part of an investigation into public indecency within sight of nearby homes.

The court already struck down a “speech code” policy at the university, but additionally ruled Wednesday that provisions of the school’s “Safe Space” program discriminate against religion and are therefore unconstitutional.

Some faculty at the University of Georgia, Athens, are complaining about the selection of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as undergraduate commencement speaker in light of charges that the administration has been slow to respond to allegations of sexual harassment.

Debra Cassens Weiss of the ABA Journal is following the controversy surrounding Justice Clarence Thomas’ commencement address at the University of Georgia

The result is that the “crime against nature” can still be used to prosecute teenagers who voluntarily engage in oral or anal sex with each other. That is true, for example, in North Carolina and Georgia and apparently elsewhere as well.

A church in Marietta has won part of a federal lawsuit it filed to overturn Marietta’s zoning code so the church could build a sanctuary and boarding school. The church’s legal team includes Alliance Defense Fund, a faith-based law firm founded in 1994.

With just days left in the 2008 legislative session, one controversial measure has gone nowhere. It’s a bill creating a Georgia hate crimes law . . .

“The message in this story is that it pays to be prepared,” said Pat Trueman, special counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund. “The city, not the strip club, is in the driver’s seat because it had the foresight to pass a sexually oriented business ordinance.”

“In a case with national implications, the American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Georgia filed a class action lawsuit today against the Atlanta Independent School System (AISS) and Community Education Partners (CEP) for violating students’ constitutional right to an adequate public education.”