Minn. appeals court rejects felon’s request for name change
If you want to change your name, you’ll have better luck if you have a felony-free record. That appears to be one lesson from a recent Minnesota Court of Appeals decision in which the court gave more...
View ArticleStudent religious fliers probably OK in Pa. school, court says
A Pennsylvania school district likely violated the First Amendment when it prohibited a fifth-grader from distributing invitations to a party at her church, a federal district court has ruled. K.A.,...
View Article30 years ago today, high court backed student Christian group
Thirty years ago today — on Dec. 8, 1981 — the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a public university cannot discriminate against student religious groups based on the basis of the content of their...
View ArticleIdaho court rejects man’s religious-based defense on pot charges
A man charged with drug-possession charges hasfailed to convince an Idaho appeals court that his marijuana usage was religiously based. Police stopped Cary William White in June 2007 because a...
View ArticleCourt revives inmate’s claim against no-beard policy
A three-judge federal appeals court reinstated a Virginia prisoner’s religious-liberty lawsuit over a no-beards policy. The panel reasoned that prison officials failed to explain how the grooming...
View ArticleEx-church pianist covered by ministerial exception
The former music director of a Catholic Church in Austin, Texas, had his employment discrimination suit rejected by a federal appeals court, because the court determined he qualified as a “minister”...
View Article4th Circuit rejects N.C. inmate’s pagan-worship claim
A North Carolina prisoner does not have a religious-liberty right to an outdoor worship circle and certain religious items, a federal appeals court has ruled. In 2005, inmate Johan Krieger asked...
View ArticleCalif. inmate’s prayer-oil case moves forward
A California inmate successfully survived a motion to dismiss his case in federal court, as a judge allowed his religious-liberty complaint to move forward over the denial of prayer oils. David Rentz...
View ArticleWhy fifth graders have rights too
When people ask if kids in public schools have First Amendment rights, I’m tempted to answer “only if you think they’re human.” After all, the U.S. Constitution recognizes that every person is born...
View ArticleMuch to-do about history for divided high court
The U.S. Supreme Court remains deeply divided over the meaning of the first 10 words of the First Amendment – “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Last month, the Court...
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....