In a recent landmark decision earlier this year, the United States Supreme Court held that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects LGBTQ workers from on-the-job discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. The decision was the result of a 6-3 majority that saw Justices Gorsuch and Roberts, who are traditionally viewed 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

Two recent cases (Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrisey-Berru and St. James School v. Biel) heard by the United States Supreme Court have dealt with the role of religious rights in this country. Both of these cases question if two Catholic school instructors qualify as “ministers,” and whether employment discrimination laws are therefore applicable. Read More

A Texas judicial commission recently announced a public warning to a Waco-based Justice of the Peace over her refusal to perform same-sex weddings. The commission found her refusal to perform same-sex weddings but insistence on performing opposite sex ones violates the 2015 United States Supreme Court’s decision of Obergefell v. Hodges, which declared that the Read More

In July 2019, more than 200 businesses signed a brief that was filed with the United States Supreme Court in support of three LGBTQ workers who were terminated as a result of their gender identity or sexual orientation. The brief was organized by several LGBTQ civil rights organizations including the Human Rights Campaign and Lambda Read More

A lawsuit against a Bradley County clerk who issued marriage licenses to same sex couples was recently dismissed by a circuit court judge and resulted in plaintiffs considering whether to pursue further legal actions. The lawsuit was initiated by a pastor in Bradley County Court in 2016. The History of the Case The Ninth Circuit Read More

In a case that is likely to have a significant impact on LGBT rights, the Missouri Supreme Court recently ruled that a discrimination lawsuit initiated by a transgender student in Kansas City is allowed to proceed. Legal action was first brought against the Blue Springs School District in October 2015 after administrators at the school Read More

On the basis of a recent decision by the United States Supreme Court, the United States Education Department recently announced that religiously affiliated organizations will become eligible to offer services to low-income students attending private schools. This law will substantially change the level of interaction that religious organizations have with educational institutions in the country. Read More

At the end of January 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States allowed President Trump’s transgender military ban to go into effect, which many LGBT advocates have hailed as a cruel body of regulations. In a 5-to-4 order, the Supreme Court declined to take a stance on the legality of the prohibition, but allowed Read More

The United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently supported a ruling by a three-judge panel that prohibits a California district from continuing its prayer policy. In arriving at this decision, the Ninth Circuit explained why the prayers in this prayer policy differed from legislative chaplain prayers which were upheld by the United States Supreme Read More