Religious Diversity in the U.S. Military

Written by Don Byrd
In honor of Veterans Day yesterday, Huffington Post featured a look at religious diversity in the U.S. military, from a Sikh Army Captain to a Muslim Colonel in the Marine Corps. Have a look!

7th Circuit Issues Preliminary Injunction in Contraception Mandate Challenges

Written by Don Byrd
Early this year, a panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals halted the enforcement of the Affordable Care Act’s contraception coverage mandate against the owners of closely held corporations who object on religious grounds, pending their appeal of the trial court’s refusal (in this case, the refusal of 2 trial courts) to issue a preliminary injunction against enforcement. Now that the appeal has been heard, the Appeals Court, unsurprisingly, has turned their initial skepticism about the lawfulness of the mandate into a preliminary injunction.

Watch the BJC’s RFRA Symposium Online

Written by Don Byrd
The Baptist Joint Committee is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act with a symposium at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. featuring leading church-state experts and advocates discussing the history and impact of the legislation. Can’t be there? Don’t worry! You can watch it online here!

Highlights from Supreme Court Arguments in Prayer Case

Written by Don Byrd
Yesterday, the Supreme Court hear arguments in a church-state case involving legislative prayer, their first case on the issue in 30 years. You can read the entire transcript here. I’ve pulled out some of my the highlights below.

Supreme Court Wrestles with Difficulty of Legislative Prayer Issue

Written by Don Byrd
The U.S. Supreme Court held oral arguments this morning in the case of Town of Greece v. Galloway, a challenge to a city council’s policy and practice of opening meetings with prayer. I’ll have more thoughts and highlights later. In the meantime, I heartily recommend the transcript of the oral arguments, which you can read here. It’s a fascinating conversation – if not a very focused one – around this issue.