New York City Mayor Eric Adams denied the need for separation of church and state in a speech at an interfaith breakfast Feb. 28. “Don’t tell me about no separation of church and state,” he said. “State is the body….
Religious liberty advocates applaud Biden administration rollback of Trump policies allowing faith-based discrimination
Traditional religious liberty advocates applauded a move by the Biden administration to undo rules created by the Trump administration that allowed faith-based organizations receiving federal fundings to discriminate against clients. Due to the complex nature of changing federal policies —…
Bill to protect same-sex and interracial marriage now appears likely to become law
In a rare example of bipartisan cooperation, the U.S. Senate advanced the Respect for Marriage Act Nov. 16, clearing the way for likely passage of a bill that would protect same-sex marriage beyond future court challenges. By a 62-to-37 vote,…
It’s still ‘Christians only’ at this Tennessee Methodist adoption agency
A Methodist foster care and adoption agency that receives government funding may continue to serve “Christians only” because the Jewish couple who challenged the agency were found by a Tennessee court not to have legal standing. The religious discrimination at…
Church-state separationists join Justice Sotomayor in blasting the Supreme Court’s ruling in a Maine school voucher case
Church-state separationists lambasted a June 21 decision of the United States Supreme Court that granted parents in Maine access to taxpayer-funded vouchers to send their children to private religious schools. Meanwhile, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in a scathing dissent from the…
Does the Johnson Amendment have any teeth left?
Donald Trump failed to “totally destroy” the Johnson Amendment as he promised evangelical Christian supporters, but a current case may demonstrate whether the no-politicking policy for tax-exempt organizations has any teeth left. The Johnson Amendment is a 1954 law that…
Unanimous Supreme Court rules against Boston in Christian flag case
The City of Boston so clearly violated U.S. law on religious liberty that a normally divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously against the city May 2. Given the tense nature of debate about the meaning of religious freedom amid the…
Former high school football coach gets a second shot at the Supreme Court with his claim that he ought to be able to lead public post-game prayers on the 50-yard-line
A Seattle-area high school football coach has extended his religious liberty claim into unexpected overtime, with the United States Supreme Court agreeing to hear his case for a second time. Joseph Kennedy, a former Bremerton High School coach, was placed…
High court says New York doesn’t have to offer a religious exemption to vaccine mandate
After nearly two years of largely favoring the free-exercise-of-religion claims brought by conservative Christians during the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States Supreme Court drew a firm line against such claims Dec. 13. Presented with a request for an emergency injunction…