A federal judge recently dismissed a lawsuit by two West Virginia residents and the Freedom from Religion Foundation that challenged the legality of a weekly Bible class in elementary and middle schools located in Mercer County, West Virginia, because the class is no longer being taught. United States District Judge David A. Faber argued that Read More

  There have been many cases in the news regarding the role that religious practice such as prayer should play in public schools. Recently, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a watchdog group in Washington D.C., accused the Bossier School District in Louisiana of violating the law in this area by implementing improper Christian prayer at public Read More

  The Freedom from Religion Foundation recently resolved an issue with Coweta County School System about end-of-game school prayer by football players. The ultimate decision reached between these two groups is that school employees are prohibited from participating in these prayers. The purpose of the Freedom from Religion Foundation is to ensure that proper distance remains Read More

A public school in Clovis, New Mexico recently painted over a mural that featured a biblical quote. The mural, which was displayed in a public school hallway, displayed an anchor, a dove, and religious scripture. The scripture was Hebrews 6;19 which reads “Hope anchors the soul.” Since 2013, the mural had been displayed in the Read More

  The Montana Department of Revenue has announced that it will continue to fight against a court ruling that money from a tax credit program can benefit religious schools. The most recent action in this case is that the Montana Department of Revenue has filed an appeal with the Montana Supreme Court. In 2015, a Read More

  East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, recently announced that it would remove religious icons from its chapel. The university’s president, however, announced that she would first receive feedback from faculty, community members, and students. The president of East Central University went so far as to express regret on making the decision too quickly without Read More

The Second District Court of Appeals recently ruled that a Roman Catholic elementary school principal is unable to pursue a sex bias and retaliation case against the Archdiocese of New York because the principal  is barred by a “ministerial exception.” The Facts of the Case The case involved St. Anthony’s School, which is located in Read More

  Several parents have initiated a lawsuit against a San Diego school district on the basis that an anti-Islamophobia campaign by the school promotes and protects Islam over other religions. Legal counsel for the parents has claimed that this promotion is a “solution looking for a problem.” The campaign in question involves placing Islamic holidays Read More

  The Biloxi School District in Biloxi, Mississippi has attempted to make changes in response to a complaint that was made by a national freedom-from-religion advocacy group regarding religion in schools. This change was made to help ensure that school officials do not participate in or promote religious events. How the Case Began Freedom from Read More

The First Amendment of the United States constitution effectively gave us the separation of church and state that we know today. The First Amendment contains two cornerstone clauses by which the founding fathers emphasized this separation. The Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause prevent Congress from prohibiting the exercise or the regulation of religion. Read More