Charles J. Russo
Charles J. Russo is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by Charles J. Russo
A century ago, one state tried to close religious schools − a far cry from today, with controversial plans in place for the nation’s first faith-based charter school
By Charles J. Russo — March 26, 2024
(The Conversation) — In 1922, Oregon voters approved an initiative to require public school for most students ages 8-16 − but it didn’t hold up in court.
Finding objective ways to talk about religion in the classroom is tough − but the cost of not doing so is clear
By Charles J. Russo — December 20, 2023
(The Conversation) — Many countries wrestle with whether to include any kind of education about religion in public school lessons, and each one takes its own approach.
Public schools and faith-based chaplains: Texas’ new combination is testing the First Amendment
By Charles J. Russo — October 26, 2023
(The Conversation) — Recent Supreme Court decisions have signaled a shift in how the country’s highest court interprets the limits on religion in schools.
How after-school clubs became a new battleground in the Satanic Temple’s push to preserve separation of church and state
By Charles J. Russo — August 8, 2023
(The Conversation) — The controversial – and often misunderstood – extracurricular groups tend to raise controversy. But under equal access laws, schools can’t discriminate against a club based on its point of view.
A business can decline service based on its beliefs, Supreme Court rules – but what will this look like in practice?
By Charles J. Russo — July 12, 2023
(The Conversation) — A designer opposed to same-sex marriage argued that a Colorado anti-discrimination law would effectively force her to speak against her beliefs.
Oklahoma OKs the nation’s first religious charter school – but litigation is likely to follow
By Charles J. Russo — June 20, 2023
(The Conversation) — The school’s approval may be the strongest challenge yet to limits on public money in religious schools.
Plans for religious charter school, though rejected for now, are already pushing church-state debates into new territory
By Charles J. Russo — April 18, 2023
(The Conversation) — Using public funds to support students at private religious schools is one thing, but establishing faith-based institutions within public districts is another.
How far must employers go to accommodate workers’ time off for worship? The Supreme Court will weigh in
By Charles J. Russo — March 2, 2023
(The Conversation) — Employers navigating employees’ requests for religious accommodations face some confusing guidance. A new Supreme Court case could clarify – and shift the norm.
Religious freedom and LGBTQ rights are clashing in schools and on campuses – and courts are deciding
By Charles J. Russo — December 6, 2022
(The Conversation) — Yeshiva University’s legal case has garnered national attention, but several similar cases are underway.
Supreme Court to revisit LGBTQ rights – this time with a wedding website designer, not a baker
By Charles J. Russo — September 23, 2022
(The Conversation) — 303 Creative v. Elenis gives SCOTUS another chance to set precedent about what happens when First Amendment freedoms come at a cost to civil rights.
Why the Supreme Court’s football decision is a game-changer on school prayer
By Charles J. Russo — June 28, 2022
(The Conversation) — Kennedy v. Bremerton, a case about a public school teacher’s prayer, helps close out a Supreme Court term in which religion was often in the spotlight.
State funds for students at religious schools? Supreme Court says ‘yes’ in Maine case – but consequences could go beyond
By Charles J. Russo — June 22, 2022
(The Conversation) — Once again, the court has expanded the legal ways that public funds can be used for students at religious institutions.
Money, schools and religion: A controversial combo returns to the Supreme Court
By Charles J. Russo — November 30, 2021
(The Conversation) — Carson v. Makin, a case from Maine about aid to students attending religious schools, goes to the Supreme Court on Dec. 8, 2021.
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