Law Commons^™

Free Exercise And The Definition Of Religion: Confusion In The Federal Courts, Mark Strasser

Mark Strasser

The United States Supreme Court has sent mixed messages about what constitutes religion for free exercise purposes. The Court’s failure to offer clear criteria has resulted in widely differing interpretations in the lower courts, resulting in dissimilar treatment of relevantly similar cases. Further, some of the circuit courts employ factors to determine what qualifies as religious that are much more restrictive than the factors employed by the Court.

This article describes some of the differing approaches to defining religion offered in the circuits, noting that one of the approaches adopted across a few circuits not only mischaracterizes the Supreme Court’s …

The Constitutional Right Not To Kill, Mark L. Rienzi

Mark L Rienzi

Federal and state governments participate in and/or permit a variety of different types of killings. These include military operations, capital punishment, assisted suicide, abortion and self-defense or defense of others. In a pluralistic society, it is no surprise that there will be some members of the population who refuse to participate in some or all of these types of killings.

The question of how governments should treat such refusals is older than the Republic itself. Since colonial times, the answer to this question has been driven largely by statutory protections, with the Constitution playing a smaller role, particularly since the …

The Harmony Between Professional Conscience Rights And Patients’ Right Of Access, Matthew S. Bowman

Matthew S Bowman

Abstract: “Access” is the new catchphrase for expanding privacy rights. This shift moves from seeking merely legalization, to demanding government assistance and the participation of private citizens. The trend can be seen across a spectrum of activities such as abortion, contraception, doctor-prescribed suicide, and reproductive technologies. Shifting from legalization to access, however, has precipitated a variety of disputes over the “right of conscience” of health professionals who don’t want to assist activities so defined under the right to privacy. Yet amidst this debate, advocates for and against the right of conscience tend to adopt some of the same, often unspoken, …

Between Law And Conscience: Jones V. Van Zandt (1847) And The Constitutional Obligation Of Obedience, Michael J.C. Taylor

Michael J.C. Taylor

Article VI of the U.S. Constitution states categorically that “the Laws of the United States shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land.” In congruence with this clause several decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court have reaffirmed the sovereignty of the federal government in cases involving issues ranging from state sovereignty to personal actions. Yet, the Court’s decision in Jones v. Van Zandt (1847) was unique in its assertion that a citizen under the authority of the constitution …

The Constitutional Right To Refuse: Roe, Casey, And The Fourteenth Amendment Rights Of Healthcare Providers, Mark L. Rienzi

Mark L Rienzi

The Fourteenth Amendment rights of various parties in the abortion context—the pregnant woman, the fetus, the fetus’ father, the state—have been discussed at length by commentators and the courts. Surprisingly, the Fourteenth Amendment rights of the healthcare provider asked to provide the abortion have not. Roe and Casey establish a pregnant woman’s Fourteenth Amendment right to decide for herself whether to have an abortion. Do those same precedents also protect her doctor’s right to decide whether to participate in abortion procedures?

The Court’s substantive due process analysis typically looks for rights that are “deeply rooted” in our history and traditions. …

On Same-Sex Marriage And Matters Of Conscience, Mark Strasser

Mark Strasser

In our increasingly diverse society, it is ever-more important to teach tolerance of and respect for those having differing sexual orientations and religious beliefs. It thus might seem an ideal solution to include conscience clauses in legislation affording same-sex couples the right to marry, whereby individuals with religious qualms about being in any way associated with such marriages may be legally excused from doing so. Yet, by creating one exception specifically for same-sex marriages rather than a more generalized exception for those with religious qualms about facilitating or being associated with marriages contrary to belief, the state may be undermining …

Passive Observers, Passive Displays, And The Establishment Clause, Mark Strasser

Mark Strasser

A number of factors are thought relevant when deciding whether a particular state practice implicating religion violates constitutional guarantees: the age of the individuals who will be exposed to the practice, whether the practice at issue requires participation, whether the state is seen as endorsing religion, and whether the practice is coercive or proselytizing. What the current jurisprudence does not make clear, however, is whether the passive nature of a practice is an additional factor to be considered or whether, instead, describing a practice as “passive” is simply to use a conclusory term indicating that the practice does not violate …

"It's Hard Work": Reflections On Conscience And Citizenship In The Catholic Tradition, Amelia J. Uelmen

Amelia J Uelmen

No abstract provided.

Traveling Light: Pilgrim Law And The Nexus Between Law, Politics And Catholic Social Thought, Amelia J. Uelmen

Amelia J Uelmen

No abstract provided.

Is Conscience King?, Amelia J. Uelmen

Amelia J Uelmen

No abstract provided.