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Religion Law

University of Washington School of Law

2001

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Law

The Religious Land Use And Institutionalized Persons Act: An Analysis Under The Commerce Clause, Evan M. Shapior Oct 2001

The Religious Land Use And Institutionalized Persons Act: An Analysis Under The Commerce Clause, Evan M. Shapior

Washington Law Review

Congress based the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) on accumulated evidence suggesting that the land use decisions of local governments unfairly burden religious uses. The RLUIPA is narrower in scope than two previous statutes aimed at protecting religious liberty. The United States Supreme Court held the first of these religious liberty statutes unconstitutional, and Congress failed to enact the other. This Comment examines the constitutionality of the RLUIPA under the Commerce Clause and argues that Congress exceeded its Commerce Clause authority because (1) land use regulation does not constitute "economic activity" as defined by the United States …


Falun Gong: An Analysis Of China's National Security Concerns, Kelly A. Thomas Mar 2001

Falun Gong: An Analysis Of China's National Security Concerns, Kelly A. Thomas

Washington International Law Journal

The Chinese government's brutal crackdown on the Falun Gong spiritual movement stands in marked contrast to its recent acknowledgement of its need to improve its human rights record and repeated avowals to take the legal steps necessary to conform with international human rights treaties. China's leadership has attempted to justify the crackdown, citing both historical reasons and national security concerns. Analysis of China's history demonstrates that repression of anti-government groups has only hardened their resistance. Similarly, the campaign against Falun Gong has failed to stop protests staged by the group's followers. In fact, Falun Gong's expressions of dissent have become …