Tag Archives: State: Nebraska

Star Herald: Prayer at the beginning of Kearney Public Schools Board of Education meetings is unconstitutional, the district’s attorney says. “We’ve received information from our school attorney and were told, I quote from our attorney, ‘We advise against such practice as courts have determined that school board prayers are unconstitutional,’” board president Tim Higgins said at Monday’s meeting.

KHASTV.com (includes Kellie in video): Thursday lawmakers got together to debate an issue that’s faced a number of Nebraska cities lately and it is now hitting a state level – workplace discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation . . . “This bill fails to protect the First Amendment freedoms. Instead, it seeks to confine religious freedom in particular to the four walls of a church or a place of worship,” said Kellie Fiedorek, Alliance Defending Freedom.

Journal Star: Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers forced a vote Tuesday on the issue of discrimination based on sexual orientation with an amendment to an unrelated bill.

AP: Nebraska Republican Sen. Deb Fischer says she will vote against Chuck Hagel to be the next defense secretary.

HSLDA: The Supreme Court of Nebraska will decide whether homeschoolers Eric and Gail Thacker violated Nebraska law because their homeschool calendar didn’t start until October while the public schools began in August.

Journal Star: On Tuesday she introduced a bill (LB485) that would prohibit discrimination in hiring, recruitment, promotion and other workplace issues, based on sexual orientation or marital status. The prohibition would not apply to religious organization

Journal Star: An anti-abortion group wants Nebraska lawmakers to pass legislation that requires four-dimensional ultrasound images of human fetuses to be posted on a state website.

Omaha.com: The council voted 6-4 to add the bias protection. Nickerson had voted against the proposal, along with council members Chuck Haase and Scott Dugan and Council President Peg Gilbert.

Washington Times: Last month, Scott Lautenbaugh, an Omaha attorney and Nebraska state senator, filed a lawsuit against the Nebraska State Bar Association in federal district court in Omaha. Days later, Mr. Lautenbaugh sought a preliminary injunction and to certify his case as a class action. Mr. Lautenbaugh is an outspoken opponent of the bar’s use of member dues for political and ideological purposes. In fact, he filed a petition with the Nebraska Supreme Court asking that it “de-integrate the bar,” that is, make membership in the bar voluntary.

Omaha.com: “The Catholic Church is not going to back down,” said Denver Auxiliary Bishop James Conley, who will start as the new bishop of the Lincoln Diocese on Nov. 20. “We are never going to compromise our principles. We will defy it and face the consequences.”

Courthouse News: A Republican lawmaker challenged the Nebraska State Bar Association’s practice of using mandatory dues for lobbying. Scott Lautenbaugh, a state senator from Omaha, filed a class action in Federal Court. Lautenbaugh claims the Bar’s use of mandatory membership dues for lobbying violates Bar members’ right to free speech.

The Church Report: A recent poll from the Omaha World-Herald had Kerrey trailing state Sen. Deb Fischer (R) by 16 points among likely voters.

AP: Federal courts refused to allow Nebraska’s 2010 law to go into effect and the state attorney general decided against defending the measure.

Omaha.com: In attempt to repeal Omaha’s legal protections for gay and transgender residents is under way, a move that could inject the contentious issue into next year’s city election. A group calling itself the Omaha Liberty Project filed a petition request with the City of Omaha this week, seeking to put the city’s expanded anti-discrimination protections to a public vote.

NBC: A new rule that requires Nebraska public schools to set aside time for the Pledge of Allegiance is drawing complaints from some teachers who are worried that schools may pressure them to recite it against their will, a civil liberties group said Monday

NY Daily News: A hate crime reported last month by a lesbian claiming three masked men tied her up in her Nebraska home, carved derogatory slurs into her skin and set fire to her house was allegedly an elaborate hoax, police said Tuesday….

LifeNews: A federal judge has dismissed the lawsuit filed by attorneys general of several states against the Obama HHS mandate that requires to religious employers to pay for or refer women for abortion-causing drugs and birth control in violation of their religious liberties | Nebraska v. HHS, Order

KPTM.com: It’s an 11-year-old battle between the Nebraska ACLU and Columbus Lakeview High School. The school told Fox 42 that it is tradition for the graduation ceremony to include prayer. The ACLU says prayer shouldn’t be allowed. Lakeview High parents and students say they won’t stop praying anytime soon.

The Hill: The Senate Republican primary in Nebraska has turned into a proxy war between conservatives and establishment Republicans that could complicate efforts to wrest control of the Senate from Democrats.

AP: Nebraska will not surrender its supply of a controversial execution drug to the Food and Drug Administration because it believes the court order requiring it to do so is flawed.

JournalStar.com: Councilman Carl Eskridge plans to propose a fairness ordinance, which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected classes.

WOWT.com: The Omaha City Council approved a controversial city ordinance Tuesday that will make it against the law to discriminate in the workplace based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Washington Post: Kerrey had announced earlier this month that would not try to return to the Senate, citing his family in New York City.

The Daily Caller: But the more surprising development may be the entrance into the fight of Christians from denominations other than Roman Catholicism. On Tuesday the Alliance Defense Fund filed suit on behalf of Geneva College, a Beaver Falls, Penn. school affiliated with the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, and Louisiana College, a Baptist institution, adding them to the growing list of plaintiffs.

MSNBC: Seven states asked a federal judge Thursday to block an Obama administration mandate that requires birth control coverage for employees of religious-affiliated hospitals, schools and outreach programs.

The Daily Caller: The November decision to reject the construction plan “was the result of a decision made, to honor, the concerns of those in Nebraska, including the Republican governor … [that the pipeline] would threaten the water supply in Nebraska,” Carney said.

KHASTV.COM (includes video): Gay rights advocates are preparing to fight a bill in the Nebraska Legislature that would prevent cities from enforcing local rules to protect gays and transgendered people from discrimination.

The Hill: The threat came from the attorneys general of Nebraska, Texas and South Carolina.

Omaha.com: In the Legislature, State Sen. Beau McCoy’s Legislative Bill 912 would amend state law to prohibit local governments from creating new classes of residents protected from discrimination.

Religion Clause: In Franks v. Nebraska, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2829 (D NE, Jan. 10, 2012), a Nebraska federal district court rejected a Title VII employment discrimination claims by a correctional officer who was not permitted to carry a pocket-sized Bible while at work in the Omaha Correctional Center.

Omaha.com: Lincoln lawyer Jeff Downing, who has defended schools and cities in cases involving religious expression, said the school probably overreacted by taking down the sign. “I think it’s a completely defensible thing to have on a school kiosk at this time of year,” he said. “It could have a meaning for one observer that’s completely different from the next observer who looks at it.”

LifeNews.com: Formerly a celebrated pro-life Democrat who enjoyed support from Right to Life for his standing as a minority voice within the Democratic party speaking against abortion, Nelson lost his support within pro-life circles after he voted for the abortion-funding Obamacare . . .

JournalStar.com: federal appeals court on Wednesday agreed to review its decision in a Missouri case that could decide the constitutionality of Nebraska’s funeral picketing law.

HSLDA: New truancy enforcement laws have sparked criminal charges against several homeschool families in Nebraska. A Dawson County Sheriff’s deputy actually threatened to remove one family’s children unless they enrolled them in public school.

The New American: The ACLU’s Nebraska franchise is demanding that a school district in that state put a stop to prayer at its high school graduation, even though the ceremony is sponsored and run privately by parents.

Columbus Telegram: Patrons of Lakeview Community School District, including eight senior students, showed their support Monday night for the continuation of prayer during graduation ceremonies.

KHGI-TV/KWNB-TV/KHGI-CD-Grand Island, Kearney, Hastings: ACLU Nebraska (American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska) Thursday demanded that school officials at Lakeview High School in Columbus stop holding a high school graduation ceremony that subjects students to “unconstitutional religious messages,” a press release from ACLU says.

Fox News: A coalition of social workers, psychologists and family therapists demanded Monday that the state adopt rules that would require certain mental health professionals to offer referrals to gay patients if they refuse to treat them because of religious beliefs.

OneNewsNow.com: Figures show that abortions in The Cornhusker State have dropped ten percent overall following the October 15, 2010, implementation of L.B. 1103, a bill that recognizes that unborn babies can feel pain at least at 20 weeks gestation and bans abortions after that point.

Findlaw: Another week, another Westboro Baptist Church case. This week, Shirley Phelps-Roper won an injunction in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals to halt enforcement of the Nebraska Funeral Picketing Law (NFPL).

Phelps-Roper v. Troutman, No. 10-2601 (8th Cir. Oct. 20, 2011)

We agree that the district court here was required to follow our Nixon precedent, which concluded that the government was unlikely to prove a significant interest in protecting funeral attendees . . . We do not make a final determination of the constitutional issues . . . Since Phelps-Roper was likely to succeed on the merits of her facial challenge under Nixon, the district court should have enjoined enforcement of the NFPL. The order denying a preliminary injunction is reversed, and the case is remanded to the district court for further proceedings.

KETV Omaha (includes video): A sixth-grade girl said she was told that she can’t wear a necklace that resembles a rosary because it violates the dress code at the Fremont Public Schools.

Teresa Collett at University Faculty for Life: A Nebraska woman who is not eligible for state medical assistance because of her immigration status has sued the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services for denying coverage to her unborn child under SCHIPS.

We conclude that the district court erred when it concluded that the doctrine of in loco parentis did not apply . . .

LifeNews.com: Two new pro-life laws go into effect in Nebraska on Saturday — one that requires teenagers to get parental consent before getting an abortion and another that is receiving more attention, that bans webcam abortions.

Nebraska.tv: A race for freedom of religion, freedom of education, and most of all freedom from slaughter took place in Grand Island Nebraska, Saturday. Sudanese refugees from across the state locked arms with local residents, with a loud and clear message — stop genocide now.

LifeNews.com: Nebraska abortions are down 10 percent during the first six months of 2011, according to a preliminary report from the state health department, and it appears a ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy may be the cause.

The Washington Post: LeRoy Carhart travels from his home in Nebraska almost every week to perform abortions at a clinic in Germantown, Md. He rarely stays at the same hotel twice. He rolls dice to pick the route he’ll take to work, because “the biggest part of security is not being predictable,” he said.

AP: Kansas is one of the five states – along with Alabama, Idaho, Indiana and Oklahoma – that enacted abortion bans this year modeled after the groundbreaking fetal-pain bill passed in Nebraska in 2010.

KETV Omaha: Elnes, who leads an Omaha church of 1,500 members at 87th Street and Pacific Street, said more than 100 ordained Christian ministers have signed the proclamation, including leaders from Lutheran, Episcopalian, United Church of Christ, Methodist and Presbyterian churches.

LifeNews: Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman signed into law two pro-life pieces of legislation yesterday and today when he put his signature on bills to ban webcam abortions and require parental consent before abortions.

Journal Star: A bill requiring parental consent for a minor’s abortion was given final approval Thursday by Nebraska lawmakers on a 41-6 vote. The bill (LB690) . . .

LifeSiteNews.com: Following is a list of recent pro-life legislative gains on the state level . . .

JournalStar.com: Nebraska lawmakers gave second-round approval late Monday on a bill that would require parental consent for a minor’s abortion. The bill (LB690) . . .

LifeNews.com: Two abortion businesses operating the Midwest have agreed to merge as Planned Parenthood of the Heartland and Planned Parenthood of Southeast Iowa have signed a letter of intent to merge into one affiliate by June 30.

LifeSiteNews: The Nebraska legislature has passed a bill that would make it a felony for abortionists to perform medical abortions via webcam, also known as “telemed” abortions. The bill, LB 521 . . .

LifeNews: On a 34 to 9 vote the Nebraska Legislature initially approved LB 521, the Stop Web Cam Abortions bill, to second stage of floor debate. Yesterday, legislators advanced the bill to the final round of debate on a 36-9 vote.

LifeNews: Nebraska has become the latest state to join several others in exercising its right to opt out of funding abortions under the Obamacare health care law that contains massive abortion funding loopholes.

Lexington Clipper-Herald: A bill to block the use of telemedicine for drug-induced abortions in Nebraska appears headed to approval in the Legislature. On a 34-9 vote Tuesday afternoon, state lawmakers gave first-round approval to LB 521.

JournalStar.com: The Legislature took on the issue of telemedicine abortions Tuesday. The bill, introduced by Lincoln Sen. Tony Fulton, requires that a physician be physically present in the room when an abortion is performed, induced or attempted by instrument, device, medicine, drug or other substance.

Des Moines Register: Legislative efforts to block a Nebraska abortion doctor from expanding into Council Bluffs are likely to be approved this year, key senators said today.

LifeNews: Two weeks ago, the Nebraska Legislature’s Judiciary Committee failed to move the bill to the Senate floor but, today, lawmakers approved LB 521 after one senator changed from “not voting” to a “yes” vote.

LifeNews: Late-term abortion practitioner LeRoy Carhart, who moved from Nebraska to Maryland after a new state law banning abortions after 20 weeks went into effect, now faces an investigation from the state medical board.

Religion Clause Blog: Mary Stinemetz, a Jehovah’s Witness, needs a liver transplant. Kansas will pay for the surgery if performed at the University of Kansas Hospital. However, Stinemetz, for religious reasons, insists on transplant surgery without any blood transfusion– a procedure which is available in an Omaha, Nebraska hospital, but not in Kansas.

LifeSiteNews: Priests should not use concerns over “prudence” as an excuse to avoid speaking boldly on the immorality of homosexual acts, says Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska.

LifeNews: Fresh from a victory in the Senate to preserve its massive taxpayer funding, a local affiliate of the Planned Parenthood abortion business announced today it plans to expand in Nebraska and Iowa.

AP: “An anti-union sentiment in the wake of union battles in Wisconsin and Ohio led small-government groups and some lawmakers to call for an end to Nebraska’s commission and collective bargaining rights.”

Fox News: The bills were modeled after legislation passed last year in Nebraska premised on research suggesting a fetus is able to feel pain after 20 weeks. Similar proposals are percolating in at least nine other states, according to one organization’s estimate.

“What’s different this year is not the raw number of anti-abortion bills, but the fact that many of the toughest, most substantive measures have a good chance of passage due to gains by conservative Republicans in last year’s legislative and gubernatorial elections.”

“As a handful of key pro-life bills are fighting their way to passage on Capitol Hill, pro-life legislators countrywide have mounted a a multi-faceted attack on the abortion industry with a surge of pro-life bills on the state level. Here is a roundup of the latest.”

Yahoo News: “Nebraska women with private health insurance will find it much more difficult to get an abortion, thanks to the advancement of Legislative Bill 22 this week in the Nebraska Unicameral.”

Forbes: “The proposal would exclude abortion coverage from all private insurance policies sold in Nebraska. Abortion coverage would be allowed only with an optional rider paid for solely by the insured.”

NECN: “The bill (LB22) by Omaha Sen. Beau McCoy would exclude abortion coverage from all private insurance policies sold in Nebraska.”

Paul Linton writes at LifeNews: Yesterday, Mary Balch responded to my article (posted on the Human Life Review’s website) criticizing the National Right to Life Committee’s “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,” which would ban virtually all abortions during and after the twentieth week of pregnancy, including abortions of children who are not viable.

Nebraska State Paper: “A district judge in Otoe County says if you can’t get a same-sex marriage in Nebraska you can’t get a same-sex divorce, either.”