A recent lawsuit claims that the “medical conscience clause” in an over $70 billion budget bill goes against the terms of the single-subject requirement found in Ohio’s Constitution. This clause lets medical professionals decline to provide services to individuals based on their religious, ethical, or moral beliefs. Ohio’s single-subject regulations prohibit legislatures from placing policies in bills Read More

The United States Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of permitting ministers to both “pray over” as well as physically touch inmates on death row during the process when lethal injection is received. The Court has increasingly dismissed stay requests from prisoners who are facing execution, so this new ruling is a significant development. Texas 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

In a major religious rights case about to be heard by the United States Supreme Court, a conservative-dominated court might move American law even further in support of religion. A current trend in the court is towards increased religious liberty rights. This case traces back to the 2014 Hobby Lobby ruling, which ruled in favor 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

According to a bill signed in late 2020 by Governor DeWine of Ohio, fetal remains from surgical abortions must be either buried or cremated. The non-theistic religious group, the Satanic Temple, however, is threatening legal action because the group argues that the state cannot dictate burial practices to religious organizations. This burial law brings up Read More

A federal judge recently ruled that North Carolina religious leaders should be able to open their doors to their congregations, overruling religious service restrictions instituted by the state’s Governor to contain further spread of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. North Carolina’s Governor Roy Cooper has since stated that he does not plan to appeal the Read More

Several prayer videos created by two military chaplains offering Christian messaging during the coronavirus pandemic were recently removed from Facebook following complaints that this content constituted “illicit proselytizing” of Christianity. This situation serves as an interesting example of how interested parties view the role of the establishment clause during the pandemic. How Debate Over the 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

A New York federal judge recently vacated a “conscience rule” created by the Trump administration that allows health care workers to refuse to participate or refer in procedures with which they have religious objections. This religious objection is most commonly raised in abortion or gender reassignment surgeries. The decision marks an advancement in women’s and Read More