High school freshman Lucy Boyd gave up most of the summer to design, plan and organize the construction of a sensory room for special needs children at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas. The congregation’s new Preschool Sensory Room offers special…
Trump administration announces plan to remove resettled refugees
The Trump administration is laying the groundwork to detain and deport refugees lawfully resettled in the United States. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services posted an interim final rule reducing the amount of time individuals can contest the termination of their…
Tennessee court grants shooter new trial because victim was trans
The suspect in a 2025 self-defense trial should have been able to argue that his slain victim was a transgender woman and therefore a greater threat to his safety than jurors were told, the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals ruled…
Federal judge allows religious charter school in Oklahoma — for now
A federal judge cleared the way for the nation’s first religious charter school to open in Oklahoma, bucking an earlier U.S. Supreme Court ruling against the idea. The Sept. 24 order by District Judge David Russell in Oklahoma City clears…
Laser takes aim at Hegseth and Rollins for proselytizing
The U.S. government was founded to serve the American people, not to proselytize them, said Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. But U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins have…
Coalition urges care for freedom of religion and speech
Freedom of religion and freedom of speech are deeply interwoven, and a threat to one is a danger to the other, representatives from more than 20 faith and civil rights organizations said. “We come together as librarians, diverse clergy, constitutional…
The People’s Revival seeks to get out the vote
An alliance of faith, labor and civil rights is needed to address the interlocking challenges of racism, xenophobia, militarism and authoritarianism currently looming over American democracy, said Willie Francois III, second vice president of the Progressive National Baptist Convention. “There…
CBF and Alliance join others in promoting safe and fair elections
Religious groups are pulling out all the stops with training and strategy-sharing events to promote and defend the right to vote in the coming midterm elections. “We’re all looking at how can we be authentic to our faith and still…
Appeals court to hear Arkansas Ten Commandments case
A federal appeals court will hear oral arguments Sept. 22 in a lawsuit filed to block Arkansas from implementing its law mandating Ten Commandments displays in public school classrooms. The hearing stems from Stinson v. Fayetteville School District. No. 1….
Court overrules Trump ban on visas based on nationality
The Trump administration broke U.S. law with a policy denying visas to people based on nationality, a federal court has ruled. U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas in New York held Aug. 21 that the 75-nation ban exceeded U.S. Secretary of…
Strong support among U.S. adults for state-sanctioned religious displays
Half of U.S. adults favor displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools while slightly less, at 48%, oppose the practice, according to a new study by Pew Research Center. The April survey of 3,592 respondents also found 78% favor student-led…
Coalition celebrates victory for the homeless against Trump
A coalition of nonprofits and local governments is celebrating a legal victory that blocks the Trump administration’s latest effort to disrupt funding that helps people escape homelessness. The National Alliance to End Homelessness, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the…