A judge for a Texas federal court in January, 2022, ruled against a vaccine policy for military members. The judge’s ruling focuses on how the Navy’s regulations address those who seek an exemption on religious grounds from the vaccine mandate. This case highlights religious rights in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccine Policy Targeted Read More

Almost 7 years after the Obergefell decision, parts of the country are still deciding how to address some aspects of family life for LGBTQ+ individuals. Parents, as well as prospective parents, are still denied equal rights under the law in various situations. The following considers challenges faced by an LGBTQ+ couple in Kansas who are Read More

A former high school student who was a football player at McKinley High School in Canton, Ohio recently filed a lawsuit after he was forced to eat pepperoni pizza. Eating pork is against his family’s religious beliefs, so school officials violated his civil rights, the suit claims. The Basis of the Pepperoni Pizza Lawsuit The Read More

A bill introduced in the winter of 2020 codifying same-sex marriage into New Jersey statute was only recently advanced past the New Jersey Assembly Judiciary Committee on a vote of 4 to 0. New Jersey’s Assembly Bill 5367 states that laws addressing both civil unions and marriages should be interpreted with gender-neutral intent. Since 2013, Read More

Over five years later, a judge for a federal court is positioned to decide a prayer lawsuit regarding whether an Athletic Association in Florida unlawfully interfered with the First Amendment rights of a Christian school in Tampa after the Association banned the broadcast of a prayer that occurred during competition. During this championship football game, Read More

A Christian children’s home located in Tennessee recently initiated legal action against the federal government over a regulation that requires the agency to place children in the homes of same-sex couples that are either in marriages or cohabiting.  The Children’s Home Involved in the Case The “Holston Home” is a nationally accredited Christian nonprofit located Read More

A prayer group at a West Virginia school has drawn significant attention from the Freedom from Religion Foundation. One woman claims that the school has ordered her daughter to participate in a Prayer Club meeting at West Virginia’s public school, Chapmanville Middle. The parent additionally claims the school’s principal instructed teachers to keep the girl Read More

An Indiana appellate court issued a ruling in a legal proceeding initiated by a man employed as a teacher at an Indiana Catholic high school following his termination. The teacher was fired from Cathedral High School because he was in a same-sex marriage, which sparked a debate about the rights of LGBTQ teachers in Catholic Read More

Last year, the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) focused on and was able to stop a Kansas public school from taking part in Operation Christmas Child (OCC), a yearly nonprofit activity supported by the Christian organization, Samaritan’s Purse. This case highlights the constitutional limits between public schools and religious practice. What Led to the Publication Read More

In the summer of 2021, the state of Texas passed its controversial “heartbeat bill” addressing abortion and banning the procedure after 6 weeks, before most women know they are pregnant and with no exception for incest and rape. This legislation appears to have been just a starting poinA Texas legislator is now attempting to pass Read More