Reviving a 1976 decision against a fundamentalist Christian school will likely fail, say legal experts. But if it succeeds, it could trigger conservative Christians’ ‘nightmare scenario.’
The 17th-century letter is widely considered to have inspired the religious freedom clause in the First Amendment.
Arkansas became the latest flashpoint in church-state politics this week as legislation introduced less than a month ago now only needs one more round of voting to make it to the desk of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Amid the vitriol against Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde from Trump and other Republicans this week, a few proposals stick out since they attempt to empower the federal government to decide which religious beliefs should be allowed or not.
Challenges to state-level Christian Nationalist measures are now working their way through the courts, which have grown friendlier to conservative Christian interests thanks to Trump’s judicial appointments.
Monday’s federal lawsuit seeks to overturn the state’s decision not to allow Joseph Corcoran’s minister to be present in the execution chamber — a constitutional right granted by a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
The judge said the law is ‘unconstitutional on its face’ and plaintiffs are likely to win their case with claims that the law violates the First Amendment.
Parents of Louisiana public school children from various religious backgrounds filed the lawsuit arguing that it violates First Amendment language forbidding government establishment of religion and guaranteeing religious liberty.
'This is religious favoritism, and it is not only dangerous, but runs counter to my religion and faith,' said the Rev. Jeff Sims, a Presbyterian Church (USA) minister and a plaintiff in the case.
Contributing writer Greg Mamula walks through the various biblical, theological, and civic concerns raised by Louisiana’s attempt to mandate display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom.