High Court: States Must Allow Prayer, Touch in Executions
The Supreme Court said Thursday that states must grant the wishes of death row inmates who want to have their pastors pray aloud and even touch them during their executions.
The Graham Inquisition
We interpret the Constitution and rule Graham’s questions out-of-bounds. Then we give a second hearing to a related misstep by Sen. Dianne Feinstein in questioning now-Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Finally, we render our verdict about the role religion should play in U.S. judicial hearings.
Taking Exception
In this edition of A Public Witness, we offer a brief history course detailing the background of the ministerial exception and the specifics of the lawsuit against GC. We conclude our class session by considering the value and role of the ministerial exception in a democratic
A Private Definition
Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor reflects on comments made about school prayer as the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear a significant church-state case. Some conservative Christian groups are wrongly calling public prayer just a “private” act.
A Banner Moment for Christian Nationalism
In this issue of A Public Witness, we tune into the oral arguments in Shurtleff v. City of Boston. We also judge the effort to undermine the Jeffersonian-called separation of church and state by conservative Christians and unlikely allies like President Joe Biden and the ACLU.
Boston was Right to Refuse to Fly Christian Flag
As a Jewish legal advocate and a Baptist minister, we support the arguments of Boston in this critical First Amendment case that Supreme Court justices will hear on Jan. 18. Read the Boston Globe op-ed by Rachel Laser (president/CEO of Americans United for Separation of
The Man Behind Shurtleff v. City of Boston
We introduce you to the man behind Shurtleff v. City of Boston ahead of oral arguments on Jan. 18. Through an unparalleled review of his decades-long advocacy career and an exclusive interview, we look at the man whose case could upend two centuries of U.S. church-state relations.
Court Suggests Religious Schools OK to Get Maine Tuition Aid
The Supreme Court appeared ready Wednesday to rule that religious schools can’t be excluded from a Maine program that offers tuition aid for private education.
High Court Skeptical of Texas Death Row Inmate Prayer Demand
Conservative Supreme Court justices expressed skepticism Tuesday about a Texas death row inmate’s demand that his pastor be allowed to pray out loud and touch him during his execution.
Sex Discrimination Suit Against Florida Church Tests ‘Ministerial Exception’ Rulings
Christie Leonard is suing the Gospel Crusade, claiming her termination was driven by discrimination based on her gender and presumptions about her sexual orientation. The church has disputed her account in court, but the case is one of several that could test the reach of