The Governor of Idaho recently signed not one but two anti-trans bills into law during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. One of the bills seeks to prohibit gender changes on birth certificates, while the other seeks to halt transgender student athletes from playing sports. The Anti-Trans Bills at Hand While most states in the Read More

For more than a quarter-century, the state of Alabama banned yoga as a “Hindu philosophy” and a “method of religious training.” Lawmakers in Alabama, however, are looking to change this approach. This article reviews the yoga ban in the state of Alabama as well as the proposed changes The Yoga Ban in Alabama In 1993, Read More

Lawmakers in Florida are currently considering a regulation that would permit pre-game prayers before sports games. This bill is motivated in part by a recent lawsuit between a Christian school and the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA). The proposed regulation would require the FHSAA to provide schools with 30 seconds for opening remarks over Read More

The country’s treatment of LGBTQ individuals has changed substantially over the last decade. Among other developments, the United States Supreme Court in 2015 ruled that same-sex marriage must be recognized nationwide. Despite such advancements, four Colorado lawmakers recently introduced a bill to prohibit same-sex marriage in the state. The anti-LGBTQ law also would have prohibited Read More

The Virginia Values Act was recently passed by both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly, and democratic Governor Ralph Northam has said he will sign it into law. The bill will update Virginia’s nondiscrimination laws and provide additional protection for LGBTQ individuals in the areas of employment, housing, and public accommodations. Once signed, Virginia will Read More

A current rumor persists that the Ohio legislature is considering a bill that will allow students to give wrong answers due to their religious beliefs. In reality, on November 13, 2019, the Ohio House of Representatives passed House Bill 164, the “Ohio Student Religious Liberties Act of 2019,” which prompted numerous headlines that described the Read More

Michigan’s Attorney General Dana Nessel recently filed an emergency motion in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan to stay the preliminary injunction permitting adoption agencies to refuse adoptions to same-sex couples while the state pursues an appeal. This action comes after a federal judge previously halted Michigan’s same-sex adoptions rules Read More

A federal appeals court in Minnesota recently revived a lawsuit initiated by a Minnesota couple that challenges a Minnesota state law requiring equal protection of the law for LGBT people in regards to services rendered. This law meant the couple might have to film same-sex weddings since they own a video production company. As a Read More

In the case of Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, the Supreme Court is poised to hear a case that will address the question of whether states can be forced to underwrite religious education with taxpayer funding. Although courts have previously allowed the government to adopt school-voucher programs that provide indirect government funding to religious Read More

Oral arguments in the case of In Re Gestational Agreement occurred before the Utah Supreme Court in 2017. While this was two years ago, the Utah Supreme Court only recently issued an opinion in this case. Even though the resulting opinion is 75 pages, the decision has the potential to greatly impact the lives of Read More