Law Commons^™

The Establishment Clause, State Action, And Town Of Greece, Nathan S. Chapman

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

The Establishment Clause forbids the government from engaging in the same religious exercise that the law protects when performed by a private party. Thus, an establishment case often turns on whether religious activity is “state action.” Too often, however, courts ignore the state action analysis or merge it with the substantive Establishment Clause analysis. This muddles both doctrines and threatens individual religious liberty.

This Article argues that the state action doctrine should account for the government’s distribution of private rights. Accordingly, the Constitution applies to the government’s distribution of rights, but not to a private party’s use of those rights. …

(Same) Sex, Lies, And Democracy: Tradition, Religion, And Substantive Due Process (With An Emphasis On Obergefell V. Hodges), Stephen M. Feldman

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Substantive due process issues implicitly concern voice. Whose voice will be heard? Although such issues often remain submerged, the Justices occasionally translate them into disputes over democratic participation and power. The Supreme Court’s most important substantive due process decision in years, Obergefell v. Hodges, entailed such a battle over democracy. The multiple dissenting opinions insisted that the decision demeaned the opponents of same-sex marriage, many of whom were inspired by traditional values and religious convictions. The majority explicitly disagreed, reasoning that the case resolved the rights of same-sex couples to marry and did not diminish the opponents’ voices. The dissenters …

The Fair Housing Act And Religious Freedom, 11 Tex. J. C.L. & C.R. 1 (2005), Michael P. Seng

Michael P. Seng

No abstract provided.

The Overlooked Costs Of Religious Deference, Robin Fretwell Wilson

Robin Fretwell Wilson

Citing the Qur'an, a German divorce court judge this year denied a fast track divorce to a Muslim woman who had been the victim of domestic violence and death threats from her husband. The judge rejected her application because the husband's exercise of his "right to castigate does not fulfill the hardship criteria" for an expedited divorce. The decision, which sparked a firestorm of controversy, comes at an important time in the movement to embrace pluralistic understandings of family relationships. Scholars and policymakers around the world are advancing various schemes for sharing state control over domestic disputes with religious groups-ranging …

The Overlooked Costs Of Religious Deference, Robin Fretwell Wilson

Robin Fretwell Wilson

Citing the Qur'an, a German divorce court judge this year denied a fast track divorce to a Muslim woman who had been the victim of domestic violence and death threats from her husband. The judge rejected her application because the husband's exercise of his "right to castigate does not fulfill the hardship criteria" for an expedited divorce. The decision, which sparked a firestorm of controversy, comes at an important time in the movement to embrace pluralistic understandings of family relationships. Scholars and policymakers around the world are advancing various schemes for sharing state control over domestic disputes with religious groups-ranging …

Religion And Social Coherentism, Nelson Tebbe

Notre Dame Law Review

Today, prominent academics are questioning the very possibility of a theory of free exercise or non-establishment. They argue that judgments in the area can only be conclusory or irrational. In contrast to such skeptics, this Essay argues that decisionmaking on questions of religious freedom can be morally justified. Two arguments constitute the Essay. Part I begins by acknowledging that skepticism has power. The skeptics rightly identify some inevitable indeterminacy, but they mistakenly argue that it necessarily signals decisionmaking that is irrational or unjustified. Their critique is especially striking because the skeptics’ prudential way of working on concrete problems actually shares …

A Critique Of Hobby Lobby And The Supreme Court's Hands-Off Approach To Religion, Samuel J. Levine

Notre Dame Law Review Reflection

Part I of this Essay provides a brief overview for analyzing the Supreme Court’s hands-off approach to religious doctrine. Specifically, this Part presents a summary of problems posed by the hands-off approach, followed by a brief taxonomy of different forms of judicial inquiry into religion. This Part aims to clarify which forms of inquiry are permissible—and typically necessary—for adjudication of a case involving a religious claim, and which forms of inquiry are precluded under the hands-off doctrine. Part II of this Essay applies the hands-off framework to the Hobby Lobby decision, considering the taxonomy of forms of judicial inquiry into …

The Women Of The Wall: A Metaphor For National And Religious Identity, Pnina Lahav

Faculty Scholarship

The Women of the Wall wish to participate in communal prayer in the women’s section of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Their practice is to pray as a group, wrap themselves in a tallit, and read from the Torah scroll. They represent Jewish pluralism in that their group includes Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and secular women. They represent openness to change in that they base their claims on Halakhic interpretation, thereby embracing the capacity of Jewish law to evolve. This article reviews the resistance of the religious and political establishment in Israel to their claim and their struggle, unsuccessful so far, …

Telescoping And Collectivizing Religious Free Exercise Rights, Henry L. Chambers Jr

Maryland Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Supreme Court And Religious Liberty, Joseph D. Kearney

Marquette Law Review

None

Religious Accommodations And – And Among – Civil Rights: Separation, Toleration, And Accommodation, Richard W. Garnett

Richard W Garnett

This paper expands on a presentation at a recent conference, held at Harvard Law School, on the topic of “Religious Accommodations in the Age of Civil Rights.” In it, I emphasize that the right to religious freedom is a basic civil right, the increased appreciation of which is said to characterize our “age.” Accordingly, I push back against scholars’ and commentators’ increasing tendency to regard and present religious accommodations and exemptions as obstacles to the civil-rights enterprise and ask instead if our religious-accommodation practices are all that they should be. Are accommodations and exemptions being extended prudently but generously, in …

Law, Religion, And Politics: Understanding The Separation Of Church And State, Richard Garnett

Faculty Workshops

Professor Richard Garnett, of University of Notre Dame Law School, presented on the topic Law, Religion, and Politics: Understanding the Separation of Church and State. This workshop was presented as part of the Hesburgh Lecture Series through the Alumni & Friends of University of Notre Dame and was co-sponsored by the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Miami. This workshop examined how to understand the Constitution's "separation of church and state" and what it requires of religious believers and institutions.

Religion And Social Coherentism, Nelson Tebbe

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Religion And Social Coherentism, Nelson Tebbe

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Today, prominent academics are questioning the very possibility of a theory of free exercise or non-establishment. They argue that judgments in the area can only be conclusory or irrational. In contrast to such skeptics, this Essay argues that decisionmaking on questions of religious freedom can be morally justified. Two arguments constitute the Essay. Part I begins by acknowledging that skepticism has power. The skeptics rightly identify some inevitable indeterminacy, but they mistakenly argue that it necessarily signals decisionmaking that is irrational or unjustified. Their critique is especially striking because the skeptics’ prudential way of working on concrete problems actually shares …

A Post-Obergefell America: Is A Season Of Legal And Civic Strife Inevitable?, Carl H. Esbeck

Faculty Publications

Obergefell v. Hodges did not extend the rigor of the Equal Protection Clause to "sexual orientation" as a protected class. The case is about the right to marry by obtaining a license from the state, not a right to be free of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The Court's rhetoric, however, will boost officials eager to take the next step for sexual equality. Not only did Obergefell speak of gays and lesbians as a class and wrote empathetically about them, but in dicta twice said that being gay or lesbian is an immutable characteristic. Accordingly, it can be …

The Exorcism Motif In The Philosophy Of Sovereign Citizen Movements, John Ehrett

John Ehrett

I aim to deconstruct a key part of the sovereign citizen movement’s perspective on legitimate authority. I argue that the core underpinnings of sovereign citizen mentality (as applied) operate according to an anthropological framework similar to that used in an exorcism: namely, the ceremonial divestiture from an oppressive authority into whose service one has been subtly pressed.

Islamic Commercial Law And Social Justice: Shari'ah-Compliant Companies, Workers' Rights, And The Living Wage, Susan C. Hascall

St. John's Law Review

(Excerpt)

The purpose of this Article is to examine workers' rights under Islamic law. Companies claiming to be in compliance with the Islamic Shari'ah must look beyond the forms of the transactions and the content of the products they sell. The companies and their Shari'ah advisors must also examine the treatment of the workers employed by the companies. If the workers are not being treated fairly, in accordance with Islamic law, the owners of these companies and their Shari'ah advisors should not claim that the companies and their products are Shari'ah-compliant. As this Article shows, the fair treatment of …

The Isis Crisis And The Development Of International Humanitarian Law, Johan D. Van Der Vyver

Johan D van der Vyver

ABOUT THE ARTICLE This article identifies the rules of international humanitarian law that have a bearing on the Israeli offensive in Gaza. It first of all attempts to establish whether or not Israel remained an Occupying Power after its disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005. If due to the control Israel continued to exercise over border crossings, electricity and water supplies and the like, Israel is found to be de facto in occupation of Gaza, the Hamas responses would qualify as a war of liberation, which in terms of Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 …

Method Of Attack: A Supplemental Model For Hate Crime Analysis, Angela D. Moore

Indiana Law Journal

On October 28, 2009, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA) was signed into law by President Barack Obama. Two years later, between September and November of 2011, members of a Bergholz, Ohio, Amish community allegedly carried out five attacks in which they forcibly restrained, and cut the hair and beards of, members of other Amish communities. In September of 2012, a jury rendered a verdict in United States v. Mullet and found sixteen members of the Bergholz community—including Samuel Mullet, bishop of the community—guilty of HCPA violations. These were the first convictions for religion-based …

Clark Memorandum: Fall 2015, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Byu Law School Alumni Association, J. Reuben Clark Law Society

The Clark Memorandum

• The State of Religious Freedom in the World (Katrina Lantos Swett)
• Messages from the Tiger Mother (Amy Chua)
• Gratitude for Our Rights (Justin Collings)
• On Justice, Mercy, and the Atonement (David G. Campbell)

How Should Religious Marriage Celebrants Respond If Same Sex Marriage Is Introduced In Australia?, Neil J. Foster

Neil J Foster

This paper discusses some of the implications for religious freedom, and the consequences for churches and other religious bodies, should same sex marriage be introduced into Australia.

A Statute Is Worth A Thousand Words: Same Sex Marriage And Rfra, Daniel Korda

Daniel Korda

This article explores the effectiveness of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act as a defense for individuals with religious objections towards servicing same sex marriages. Specifically, this article (a) evaluates if the Federal Government has a compelling interest to promote equal accommodations for same sex marriages and (b) considers if "private" individuals suing private parties for refusing to service their marriage are in fact "public" plaintiffs, as the enforcement of laws banning marital discrimination have traditionally been enforced by the State.

The Rule Of Liberal Legalism: The Challenge Of The Normativities Of Multiple Modernities And Religious Diversity, Noorjahan Pirani Hirji

LLM Theses

In Canada profound diversification of multiple moral, political and normative commitments of a multiplicity of communities is unstoppable. Its historically liberalized, modernized and secularized law dominates principles of procedural justice in expressing the monistic liberal theory of rights now entrenched as individual rights within its charter. For religious believers, basing legal and political life on moral behavior acquired through generations of norms is integral to both security of state, and integrity of multiple communities. Tension exists between religious rights, demands of different visions of the good life, secular politics and the slow reshaping of liberal constitutional law in recognizing religious …

Stemming The Hobby Lobby Tidal Wave: Why Rfra Challenges To Obama's Executive Order Prohibiting Federal Contractors From Discriminating Against Lgbt Employees Will Not Succeed, Kayla A. Higgins

Buffalo Journal of Gender, Law & Social Policy

No abstract provided.

An Employer's Conscience After Hobby Lobby And The Continuing Conflict Between Women's Rights And Religious Freedom, Sarah M. Stephens

Buffalo Journal of Gender, Law & Social Policy

No abstract provided.

The First Amendment Case For Corporate Religious Rights, John D. Moore

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Position And Authority Of The Aceh Shari'a Court On The Indonesian Justice System, Sufiarina Sufiarina

Indonesia Law Review

Article 27 paragraph (1) of Law No. 48 Year 2009 regarding Judicial Power states that special courts can only be formed in one of the court systems under the Supreme Court, which include general courts, religious courts, military courts and state administration courts. However, article 3A paragraph (2) of Law No. 50 Year 2009 concerning the Second Amendment to the Law on Religious Court places Shariah Court as a special court within the system of religious courts and as a special court within the system of general courts. Such positioning is inconsistent with Article 27 paragraph (1) of the Law …

The "Compulsory School Attendance" Case: Wisconsin V. Yoder, Michael Buchicchio

Akron Law Review

It is an important constitutional doctrine that a law generally constitutional "on its face," may be unconstitutional "as applied" in specific instances. The Amish case marks the first occasion that the Court has clearly articulated that exception in favor of a minority religious group. It would appear that compulsory education laws are-"on their face"--within a state's constitutional powers, but under the facts of this case, the First Amendment requires that the Amish be exempt.

Is It Unconstitutional To Prohibit Faith-Based Schools From Becoming Charter Schools?, Stephen D. Sugarman

Stephen D Sugarman

This article argues that it is unconstitutional for state charter school programs to preclude faith-based schools from obtaining charters. First, the “school choice” movement of the past 50 years is described, situating charter schools in that movement. The current state of play of school choice is documented and the roles of charter schools, private schools (primarily faith-based schools), and public school choice options are elaborated. In this setting I argue a) based on the current state of the law it would not be unconstitutional (under the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause) for states to elect to make faith-based schools eligible for …

Representative Government And The "Bible Commonwealth" In Early Massachusetts, George L. Haskins

Akron Law Review

THE TITLE OF THIS ARTICLE may seem somewhat paradoxical, or at the very least to require some definition of terms. If the government of the colony of Massachusetts Bay in early New England was indeed a "Bible Commonwealth," or even a theocracy, as it has also been characterized, is that not inconsistent with its being a "representative government" in any broad, or even literal sense? Alternatively, even if the government contained a recognizable representative element, was its voice so small, so insignificant, or so manipulated that it merely supported an entrenched religiously inspired oligarchy? The paradox, if there is one, …