A complaint was recently filed against Muskegon Community College because it included a religious prayer at its 2018 graduation ceremony. The complaint was initiated by the Michigan Association of Civil Rights Activists in response to a prayer that was delivered during the 2018 graduation ceremony by a master of ceremonies. The Content of the Speech Read More

Recently, a federal judge in Michigan ruled that a lawsuit challenging the power of religious affiliated adoption agencies can proceed. The ACLU is attempting to bar state-contracted child placement agencies from discriminating against same-sex couples. While it remains uncertain how this case will be resolved, it has the potential to significantly affect Michigan’s laws, which Read More

Three families in Maine recently initiated legal action in the United States District Court in Bangor against the commissioner of the Maine Department of Education over a law that prohibits tuition reimbursements for religious schools. For several decades, this law has stated that secondary schools are able to pay tuition for students who attend public Read More

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that a California school board is prohibited from including prayers or making reference to Christian scripture at its meetings. This decision comes after the court upheld a 2016 injunction forbidding these practices. This decision sheds some important light on the role of prayer in school meetings. Origins Read More

Mississippi’s HB 1523 is a religious exemption law that passed in 2016 as a response to the US Supreme Court’s 2015 decision to allow same-sex couples to marry nationwide.  It is a virulently anti-LGBTQ law that allows both government workers and private companies to refuse to offer their services to LGBTQ individuals on the basis Read More

A New York teacher recently had a case heard in Second Circuit Court of Appeals court concerning the display of religious items in her classroom. The lower court previously ruled against the teacher. Individuals who are interested in the ongoing debate about religious expression in the classroom should understand some information about this case. Backgrounds Read More

Non Denominational Ordinations are Different but the Same The Universal Life Church’s non denominational ordination is fundamentally different from the ordinations issued by the Catholic, Lutheran and Baptist churches in that they allow those who hold them to adhere to the practices and beliefs of many different religions. A ULC minister is thus able to Read More