Religion & Government

short readsJul 7, 2014

What is a ‘closely held corporation,’ anyway, and how many are there?

The Supreme Court’s long-awaited decision in the Hobby Lobby case says “closely held” corporations can have religious rights that need to be respected. What was it talking about?
short readsJul 7, 2014

For gay newlyweds in some states, ‘limbo’ may last another year

It has happened in four states so far, and may well happen in others – a kind of marital limbo where licenses have been granted and vows exchanged, but the marriages themselves have not been officially recognized.
short readsJul 2, 2014

The Hobby Lobby impact: A Q&A

The U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing for-profit businesses to opt out of the contraceptive mandate in the new health care law has raised questions about what the ruling might mean for businesses, for future challenges to the contraception mandate, and even for the future of church-state law. We posed these questions to Robert Tuttle, one of the nation’s experts on church-state issues. He is the Berz Research Professor of Law and Religion at the George Washington University.
short readsMay 30, 2014

Four-in-Ten Pakistanis say honor killing of women can be at least sometimes justified

Pakistan’s prime minister called the stoning death this week of a 25-year-old pregnant woman “unacceptable,” but a survey shows that not all Pakistanis share that view.
short readsMay 5, 2014

Supreme Court affirms town council’s right to prayer

The Supreme Court brought some clarity to the role of prayer in civic life today by reaffirming that prayer before legislative bodies is not only constitutional, but that it can contain Christian and other faith-specific language. At the same time, today’s 5-4 ruling in Town of Greece v. Galloway largely upheld existing case law rather than significantly breaking new ground.
reportApr 1, 2014

Catholics, other Christians support immigration reform, but say faith plays small role
short readsMar 25, 2014

After Hobby Lobby, a nonprofit legal challenge to the contraception requirement

Even though the two cases heard by the Supreme Court involve for-profit businesses, the rulings in Hobby Lobby and Conestoga on the contraceptive requirement could impact subsequent cases involving nonprofits like Little Sisters of the Poor.
short readsMar 24, 2014

5 questions about the Hobby Lobby case and contraceptive coverage

A Q & A about the two related cases that will be argued before the Supreme Court on Tuesday involving a challenge to regulations in the Affordable Care Act requiring many employers to include free coverage of contraceptive services in their employees’ health insurance plans.
fact sheetMar 20, 2014

Health Care Law’s ‘Contraception Mandate’ Reaches the Supreme Court

On March 25, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in two cases challenging regulations arising from the Affordable Care Act. Both cases involve for-profit businesses whose owners object – for religious reasons – to free coverage of contraceptive services in their employees’ health insurance plans.
short readsMar 19, 2014

Religious police found in nearly one-in-ten countries worldwide

As of 2012, at least 17 nations have police that enforce religious norms. Religion police forces are most common in the Middle East and North Africa, and are also found in the Asia-Pacific and in sub-Saharan Africa.