Despite US Supreme Court decisions to strike down COVID-19 worship service restrictions in two recent cases, a federal judge again refused to lift worship restrictions in a case brought by California’s South Bay United Pentecostal Church, the Christian Post reports.
The United States added Nigeria to a blacklist of countries that violate religious liberties Monday, DW reports. Joining Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and China, Nigeria is now listed as a country “of concern” “under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.”
A federal appeals court in Tennessee has ruled it is lawful for the state to ban abortions requested on the grounds of Down syndrome, gender, or race, CBN News reports. In making this decision the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the legality of a law enacted by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) earlier this year.
Government officials in Cuba have demolished an Assemblies of God church building and are preventing other churches from opening again after COVID-19 measures were lifted, Morning Star News reported Sunday. The Cuban government claimed the building was demolished to lay piping for a cement plant, but such infrastructure would have required the destruction of local homes and the relocation of residents: none of this has happened.
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Thursday criticized his colleagues’ decision not to consider two lawsuits in which churches fought state coronavirus worship restrictions.
Of the roughly 32 lawsuits that have been filed since March against California Gov. Gavin Newsom, many allege his executive orders violate the religious liberty clauses of the California Constitution.
The Supreme Court heard a case Tuesday in which it was asked to rule on whether a person can sue individual members of federal government agencies for violation of their religious freedom, the Washington Examiner reports. The lawsuit being heard was filed by Muslim and religious liberty advocates.
Two Supreme Court justices have made a statement criticizing the landmark 2015 ruling in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, which mandates that all states recognize same-sex marriage, Fox News reports. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito said Monday that the mandate issued cannot be found in the constitution; their statement suggests they might be willing to vote to overturn the ruling if given the opportunity.
Writing to the mayor of San Francisco about his COVID-19 policies, the Department of Justice (DoJ) said on September 25 that it is “draconian” to allow only one congregant at a time in house of worship, while “allowing multiple patrons in other indoor settings including gyms, tattoo parlors, hair salons, massage studios, and daycares,” the Christian Post reports.
Senate Republicans are aiming to confirm President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee before the election, but even if they fail, religious liberty advocates expect favorable decisions from what could be an eight-man court.
President Trump’s updated list of potential Supreme Court nominees places heavy emphasis in its selection on people who have been deeply involved in cases concerning religious liberty and abortion.
Los Angeles County filed a request Wednesday for John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church to be held in contempt of court and to be fined $20,000, CBN News reports. The complaint comes after the church held three indoor services on Sunday, in defiance of COVID-19 restrictions.
The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the Little Sisters of the Poor are exempt from an Obama-era mandate to provide contraception in their healthcare plans, an outcome regarded as a major victory by religious liberty advocates.
Justice Neil Gorsuch’s majority opinion in Bostock v. Clayton County, a Supreme Court decision extending employment protections to gay and transgender people, kicks off a new religious liberty battle.
In a 6-3 ruling issued on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court said an employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender violates Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
A region of northeastern Syria that U.S. forces ceded to Turkey has seen a spike in Islamic State-backed attacks, researchers said Wednesday during a roundtable discussion on religious liberty.
American Christians prepare to worship amid concerns about damaged churches after U.S. President Donald Trump urged more prayers for America.
Having relaxed its COVID-19 restrictions, in April the Chinese government resumed and intensified its crack-down on churches, the Christian Post reports. At least 48 Three-Self churches and meeting places were reportedly shut down in Yugan County in the province of Jiangxi from April 18 to 30. Over 10 percent of the more than 1 million residents of Yugan County are Protestants attending some 300 official Three-Self churches.
Pending judicial review, the Oregon Supreme Court held in place on May 19 Gov. Kate Brown’s stay-at-home orders that limit in-person church services to 25 people, the New York Times reported. Ten churches had filed suit, arguing that the orders placed an undue burden on houses of worship that wanted to have services with social distancing. The state appealed to the Supreme Court after Circuit Judge Matthew Shirtcliff ruled May 18 that Brown overstepped her authority in not seeking legislative approval to extend her stay-at-home orders beyond a 28-day limit.
The Justice Department has told California Gov. Gavin Newsom that his current COVID-19 order prohibiting worship services amounts to “unequal treatment of faith communities,” the Washington Examiner reports. In a letter sent Tuesday by the Department’s Civil Rights Division, the governor was told it is apparently unfair that church should be closed when “non-essential” businesses have opened in phase two of California’s Reopening Plan.