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
The Supreme Court & a Redefining of ‘Religious Liberty’
Steven K. Green writes that in prioritizing religious liberty claims over health and anti-bias concerns, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority has promoted a skewed conception of what religious freedom is.
Church Isn’t Like a Manicure
Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor reacts to recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings on coronavirus restrictions and worship. He argues a majority of the justices wrongly compare worship gatherings to commercial activities.
High Court Creates New Religious Exemption to COVID Rules in California
In an unsigned order from the Supreme Court’s “shadow docket” late Friday (April 9), five justices on the high court ordered California to lift restrictions on religious gatherings in homes — even as the same restrictions remain on any other gatherings in homes.
High Court Revives Ex-Student’s Suit Against Georgia College
The Supreme Court is reviving a lawsuit brought by a Georgia college student who sued school officials after being prevented from distributing Christian literature on campus. Lower courts said the case was moot, but the Supreme Court disagreed.
Conservative Justices Think Religion is Under Siege. Will the Full Supreme Court Follow?
The Supreme Court has increasingly exempted religious believers from government regulations, and it is clear by their statements that individual justices on the right think religion is under siege in America. Read full piece
Alabama Cancels Execution After Court Requires Pastor
An Alabama inmate on Thursday won a reprieve from a scheduled lethal injection after the U.S. Supreme Court said the state must allow his personal pastor in the death chamber.
Supreme Court Splits on California’s Pandemic Restrictions on Churches
The U.S. Supreme Court is telling California that it can’t bar indoor church services because of the coronavirus pandemic, but it can keep for now a ban on singing and chanting indoors.
Why One Man’s Supreme Court Case is Uniting the ACLU with the Catholic Church
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski on Jan. 12, 2021. Read full piece