Camp Mystic in Texas is the target of at least four new state lawsuits related to the deaths of 25 campers and two teenage counselors during catastrophic flash flooding July 4. An estimated 135 people in the Hill Country region…
Moody Bible Institute sues Chicago Schools over student teacher placement
Moody Bible Institute of Chicago has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the city Board of Education for barring its students from student teaching opportunities. “As a condition of participation, Chicago Public Schools insists that Moody sign agreements with employment nondiscrimination…
BJC Fellows marks 10 years and 100 alumni
Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty this year celebrates a decade of developing faith freedom advocates through its BJC Fellows Program. The total number of fellows to come through the program since 2015 reached 100 with induction of the 14-member…
Faith-based groups sue Texas over limitations on investment advice
Business and faith-based investment groups are suing Texas to stop enforcement of a new law that limits expert advice available to investors. “The plaintiffs are faith-based and nonprofit organizations that, as part of their missions, partner with institutional investors to…
Supreme Court hears case of Rastafarian forcibly shaved
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Nov. 10 in a prison abuse case that could affect the religious freedom rights of inmates nationwide. Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections stems from prison guards forcibly shaving a Rastafarian man’s hair…
Trump plans call center in Nashville to deport children
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to escalate the Trump administration’s child deportation campaign with a call center in Nashville, Tenn. “In the notice posted to a government contracting website on Tuesday, ICE officials said there is an ‘immediate need’…
Virginia group files suit to stop school serving Native Hawaiians
A new lawsuit accusing a private K-12 school in Hawaii of racial discrimination against non-native residents is triggering painful memories of colonialism across the state. “It’s upsetting to a lot of people, and it’s upsetting to me,” said Kealahou Alika,…
Christian nationalists and some Jews foresee doom in Mamdani’s win
Christian nationalists are losing their minds over the election of Zohran Kwame Mamdani as the first Muslim mayor of New York City. Before and since Mamdani’s Nov. 4 victory, evangelicals, right-wing politicians and conspiracy theorists expressed fears the Ugandan-born immigrant would…
Interfaith leaders call on Trump administration to bolster Israel-Hamas ceasefire
Scores of Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders in 20 countries have urged the Trump administration to bolster the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire and ensure desperately needed humanitarian aid flows to civilians still suffering from two years of war. Churches for Middle…
As Trump balks on SNAP, advocates return to court
A coalition of small businesses, faith-based nonprofits and small governments returned to court Nov. 4 after the Trump administration gave mixed signals about its compliance with a judge’s order to resume food stamp payments during the government shutdown. The group…
Federal judge bars freeze in food assistance
A federal judge in Rhode Island barred the Trump administration Oct. 31 from freezing food stamp spending during the ongoing government shutdown. About 42 million recipients were set to lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits Nov. 1 but Judge John…
Another lawsuit seeks to continue food stamp benefits
A coalition of faith-based nonprofits, small businesses and local governments filed suit Oct. 30 to challenge President Donald Trump’s refusal to continue food stamp funding during the government shutdown. The action filed in the U.S. District Court for the District…