U.S. Supreme Court Poised to Take Up Contraception Case(s)?

Written by Don Byrd
Tomorrow, the U.S. Supreme Court will meet to determine which new cases to take up. SCOTUSblog notes that the list of petitions for the conference includes several challenges to the Affordable Care Act’s contraception coverage mandate. Could this be the week the Court decides to resolve one of the most controversial church-state disputes of the last few years?

It sure looks that way. Usually, a petition before the Supreme Court faces very long odds of being accepted. Here, though, the Court has multiple directly conflicting opinions from federal appeals courts, on an issue of public controversy. Some courts have ruled the requirement an unconstitutional burden on the religious exercise of business owners. Others have found the burden too indirect, or ruled that a corporation cannot exercise religion in the first place. Which case or case(s) the court decides to hear could be an interesting clue as to which questions they are prepared to answer.

Snake-Handling Pentecostal Preachers Claim First Amendment Protection

Written by Don Byrd
The Pentecostal tradition of snake-handling goes back several generations in Appalachia. Adherents believe God requires them to hold poisonous snakes as a test of their faith that they will be protected. In Tennessee, the practice is under renewed scrutiny pursuant to state laws that prohibit the possession of rattlesnakes and other dangerous wildlife. Charged with an offense for keeping dozens of such snakes, Andrew Hamblin argues the First Amendment protects his right to practice this brand of faith.