A 16-year old high school student in San Diego recently initiated legal action in federal court against the San Diego Unified School District. The student asserts that a vaccine mandate requiring qualified students to be fully inoculated against COVID-19 by the end of December 2021 constitutes religious discrimination.  San Diego’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate The San Read More

A Washington state florist with objections to same-sex marriage recently withdrew a petition before the United States Supreme Court. A Washington state florist who declined to arrange a couple because the florist had religious objections to same-sex marriage recently withdrew a petition before the United States Supreme Court. Rather than pursue the case in a Read More

A federal appellate court recently issued a decision in favor of Western Michigan University athletes. This decision means the athletes will be able to play sports without obtaining a COVID-19 vaccine. The University had issued a vaccine mandate for student athletes, but did not mandate them for all students. How the Lawsuit Arose The original Read More

The United States Supreme Court recently overruled COVID-19 restrictions established by New York legislators that were designed to combat the coronavirus, finding the restrictions to be unconstitutional. The 5-to-4 vote was the first to address COVID-19 restrictions after the loss of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg this fall and the installment of the new Read More

Last month, the United States Supreme Court heard several important cases regarding contraceptive coverage guaranteed under the 2010 Affordable Care Act. In 2017, the Trump Administration argued for the right to expand a previous exemption to the contraceptive mandate from entities with a religious objection, such as churches, to any entity with a moral objection. Read More

Utah Congressman Chris Stewart recently introduced the Fairness for All Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, which aims to be a compromise bill to both protect LGBTQ people and religious freedom. This appears to be the first time that a so-called LGBTQ civil rights bill has been introduced by a conservative lawmaker, and it 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

In August 2019, the Trump Administration received substantial criticism when it proposed a policy that would grant some federal contractors the right to discriminate against individuals who do not share the employers’ religious views.  Many organizations who fight for LGBTQ rights have responded that this policy is dangerous, shameless, and unconscionable. This decision also substantially Read More

New York legislators in June 2019 passed a bill that will end religious exemptions to vaccinations. This decision came after a series of debates among legislators concerning this exemption, which was used by parents to justify sending unvaccinated children to school or daycare. This bill represents a strong example of how religious rights can come Read More

  New Jersey law requires school children to receive numerous vaccinations when they reach a certain age, but there are exceptions for parents who want to avoid a vaccination for religious reasons. Some physicians have commented that this loophole in current law is too expansive and can seriously harm children. In response to these concerns, Read More