Supreme Court
Muslim inmate takes his case for a beard to the Supreme Court
By Lauren Markoe — October 1, 2014
WASHINGTON (RNS) Inmate Gregory Holt wants to grow a half-inch beard in observance of his Muslim faith. Arkansas prison officials say he can't. The Supreme Court will decide.
Why I stopped saying America’s Pledge of Allegiance
By Brian Pellot — September 9, 2014
Atheists launched a “Don’t Say the Pledge” campaign on Monday to protest the phrase “under God.” I stopped saying the Pledge in my tweens for more reasons than one.
Greece, N.Y., policy may prohibit atheists from public invocations
By Kimberly Winston — August 22, 2014
(RNS) Greece, N.Y., the city at the heart of last May's Supreme Court ruling on sectarian prayer at public meetings, issued new rules for giving invocations that may exclude atheists.
Utah same-sex marriage proponents want Supreme Court to rule, too
By Marissa Lang — August 8, 2014
SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) Lawyers for the three same-sex couples announced Thursday (Aug. 7) that they will join with Gov. Gary Herbert and Attorney General Sean Reyes in calling for the Supreme Court to hear their case.
Satanists’ challenge to Hobby Lobby ruling may face legal hurdles
By Kimberly Winston — July 31, 2014
(RNS) Satanists' attack on the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision with a letter protesting "informed consent" abortion laws as a burden to their religious beliefs may be a toothless challenge.
Obama to employers: Notify workers if you’re dropping contraceptive coverage
By Richard Wolf — July 18, 2014
WASHINGTON -- The timing of the notice came after the Senate failed Wednesday to pass Democratic legislation that would have reversed the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision on the contraception mandate.
Hobby Lobby protesters ‘Knit a Brick’
By Kimberly Winston — July 17, 2014
(RNS) The Secular Coalition for America wants anyone upset by the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby ruling last month to knit or crochet rectangles, or “bricks,” to shore up what the coalition sees as the crumbling wall of separation between church and state.
Utah asks Supreme Court for urgent intervention to halt same-sex marriage recognition
By Marissa Lang — July 17, 2014
(RNS) A state win would effectively nullify more than 1,000 unions gay and lesbian Utahns entered into during a 17-day legal marriage window.
Utah to appeal gay marriage case to Supreme Court
By Michael Winter — July 10, 2014
(RNS) Attorney General Sean Reyes decided to leapfrog the full 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after a three-judge panel last month upheld a lower-court ruling and declared that the U.S. Constitution's guarantees of equal protection and due process extend to gay men and lesbians who want to marry.
COMMENTARY: How soccer differs from the world of partisan politics
By Tom Ehrich — July 8, 2014
(RNS) Soccer seems eerily like the world outside. But the "players" in our partisan wars show little respect for each other or willingness to let the contest end.
Wheaton College gets a pass from Supreme Court on contraception mandate
By Richard Wolf — July 7, 2014
WASHINGTON (RNS) "Those who are bound by our decisions usually believe they can take us at our word. Not so today," Justice Sonia Sotomayor said after the Supreme Court granted an exemption from the contraception mandate to Wheaton College.
Should Congress repeal the law behind the Hobby Lobby case?
By Lauren Markoe — July 3, 2014
WASHINGTON (RNS) The Hobby Lobby case revolved around the question of whether an employer had to cover all types of birth control, including ones that their religious convictions held out as morally objectionable. But it hinged on little-known RFRA.
Questions remain on contraception coverage after ruling
By Jayne O'Donnell — July 3, 2014
(RNS) Observers remain divided over just how broadly Monday's Supreme Court decision in the case brought by crafts retailer Hobby Lobby and cabinet maker Conestoga Wood Specialties should be read and whether it could also apply to businesses that aren't closely held.
The cross on Mount Soledad can stay — for now
By Kimberly Winston — June 30, 2014
(RNS) Both sides in a ongoing legal controversy over a cross on public land in San Diego will have to wait some more.
Supreme Court Rules for Hobby Lobby
By Lauren Markoe — June 30, 2014
(RNS) The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that Hobby Lobby, as a closely held private company, has religious rights and does not have to provide employees insurance that covers all birth control methods mandated by the Affordable Care Act.
