Justices side with LGBTQ group at Jewish university, for now
The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for an LGBTQ group to gain official recognition from a Jewish university in New York, though that may not last.
First Amendment
Articles
As Indiana courts rule for Catholic church, one discrimination case still undecided
In dismissing a lawsuit filed by a gay teacher against the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, the Indiana Supreme Court became the second court to rule against an LGBTQ educator by finding that hiring and firing decisions are church matters not governed by the state.
Appellate court affirms stalking conviction against woman who targeted former sheriff
A woman holding more than a decadelong grudge against a former sheriff cannot shake her conviction for felony stalking after she berated the man and followed him around town for years.
Reversal: Inmate fired for attending prayer service didn’t miss step in grievance process
An inmate who filed a First Amendment complaint after he was fired from his prison job for going to a prayer service instead of work can proceed with his case against a prison officer after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed summary judgment for the officer.
In affirming dismissal of Roncalli discrimination lawsuit, Easterbrook advises starting with statute
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has again sided with the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in an employment discrimination lawsuit filed by Lynn Starkey, a Roncalli High School guidance counselor who was fired for being in a same-sex marriage.
U.S. Supreme Court sides with coach who sought to pray after game
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday sided with a football coach from Washington state who sought to kneel and pray on the field after games.
SCOTUS rules religious schools can get Maine tuition aid
The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Maine can’t exclude religious schools from a program that offers tuition aid for private education, a decision that could ease religious organizations’ access to taxpayer money.
Lawsuit against Boone County for blocking resident from Facebook page dismissed
A lawsuit filed last month against Boone County for blocking a resident from the county’s Facebook page was dismissed this week, according to court documents.
ACLU of Indiana lawsuit says Boone County blocked resident from Facebook page
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed a lawsuit this month against Boone County, alleging the county violated a resident’s First Amendment rights when it blocked him from the county’s Facebook page.
Reversal: Divorce court violated parents’ 1st Amendment rights via ‘non-disparagement clause’
A non-disparagement clause drafted into a couple’s divorce order to prevent the parents from talking badly about each other even outside of the presence of their child was an unconstitutional prior restraint on speech, the Court of Appeals of Indiana ruled in a partial reversal.
The Bail Project sues state over constitutionality of law limiting charitable bailouts
Charitable bail organization The Bail Project has filed a complaint in federal court alleging a new Indiana law restricting whom it can bail out of jail infringes on its constitutional rights.
Supreme Court rules against Boston in Christian flag case
A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that Boston violated the free speech rights of a conservative activist when it refused his request to fly a Christian flag on a flagpole outside City Hall.
Supreme Court tackles case about praying football coach
A coach who crosses himself before a game. A teacher who reads the Bible aloud before the bell rings. A coach who hosts an after-school Christian youth group in his home. U.S. Supreme Court justices discussed all those hypothetical scenarios Monday while hearing arguments about a former public high school football coach from Washington state who wanted to kneel and pray on the field after games.
Court won’t revive ban on secret filming at slaughterhouses
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by Kansas to revive a law, earlier struck down by lower courts, that banned secret filming at slaughterhouses and other livestock facilities.
Supreme Court tackling case about praying football coach
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday will tackle a dispute between public school officials and a former high school football coach who wanted to kneel and pray on the field after games.
AG Rokita reaches resolution with political pundit over press conference access
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and political pundit Abdul-Hakim Shabazz have ended their public battle that began at a press conference about robocalls with a one-page motion to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit and pay their own legal fees.
Reporter tells court 1st Amendment lawsuit will end if AG Rokita has ‘change of heart’
Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, the political pundit who is suing Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita after being barred from a press conference about robocalls, is trying to keep his lawsuit alive by telling a federal court that the state’s top lawyer is ignoring “the foundational role that a free, uninhibited press performs in our society.”
AG Rokita says no constitutional right to interact with government officials
Claiming freedom of speech does not guarantee the right to hear a government official deliver a message in person, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is seeking dismissal of a First Amendment case brought by an Indianapolis-based political commentator who was barred from a press conference.
Checking in? Notorious hotel the setting of high court case
The Smuggler’s Inn, a bed-and-breakfast on the U.S.-Canada border that officials say is a magnet for illegal border crossings, was the setting of a case heard Wednesday at the Supreme Court.
High court takes case involving refusal to serve gay couples
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a new clash involving religion and the rights of LGBT people.