The Supreme Court has declined to hear a Louisiana case involving a sacramental confession and whether a priest can be compelled to disclose what transpired if the person who made the confession waives confidentiality. The effect of the court declining the case is that a lawsuit may proceed to a state court hearing about the […]
Supreme Court
Court Ruling Upholds Rights Of Conscience
In a narrowly tailored 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court June 30 said closely held companies may be exempted from a government requirement to include contraceptives in employee health insurance coverage under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).
Supreme Court Rules In Favor of Pro-Life Group’s Legal Challenge
WASHINGTON (CNS) – The Supreme Court June 16 said the Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life political advocacy group, can sue the state of Ohio over a law that bars false statements about candidates during election campaigns.
Public Prayer – Supreme Court Rules in Favor
WASHINGTON (CNS) – The Supreme Court ruled this week that prayers said before town council meetings in Greece, N.Y., do not violate the Constitution. In their 5-4 decision, the judges noted a historical precedent to opening local legislative meetings with a prayer were not coercive to those in attendance.
Court Rules Against Photog Who Refused Same-Sex Wedding Job
The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of a lower court ruling that said a New Mexico photographer violated the state’s human rights law by refusing to photograph a commitment ceremony for a same-sex couple.
Court to Decide Where Talk About Abortion Is Allowed
by Patricia Zapor WASHINGTON (CNS) – Supreme Court justices Jan. 15 pressed attorneys about when it is constitutional to prohibit certain kinds of speech in a case over buffer zones around abortion clinics. In oral arguments in a case over a 35-foot buffer zone around Massachusetts Planned Parenthood clinics, the attorney for people who want […]
Supreme Court Ruling Called ‘Tragic’ for US
by Carol Zimmerman WASHINGTON (CNS) – U.S. Catholic bishops said the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 26 rulings on same-sex marriage were a “tragic day for marriage and our nation.” The court, in separate 5-4 rulings struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, defining marriage as between one man and one woman and […]
More Court Cases for ObamaCare
by Nancy Frazier O’Brien WASHINGTON (CNS) – Although legal scholars and political observers will likely spend days parsing each line of the 193 pages of U.S. Supreme Court opinions and dissents on the health reform law, the court’s June 28 decision is not likely to be its final word on the Patient Protection and Affordable […]
Court Backs Church Hiring Practice
WASHINGTON (CNS) – The direction the courts will take with other cases related to religious employment is far from clear, but the Supreme Court’s Jan. 11 ruling opens a whole track of possibilities. The decision in Hosanna-Tabor vs. EEOC held that fired teacher Cheryl Perich could not sue under federal disability discrimination laws, because the […]