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Articles 1 - 30 of 32
Full-Text Articles in Law
Hosanna-Tabor And Supreme Court Precedent: An Analysis Of The Ministerial Exception In The Context Of The Supreme Court’S Hands-Off Approach To Religious Doctrine, Samuel J. Levine
Hosanna-Tabor And Supreme Court Precedent: An Analysis Of The Ministerial Exception In The Context Of The Supreme Court’S Hands-Off Approach To Religious Doctrine, Samuel J. Levine
Samuel J. Levine
The United States Supreme Court‘s review of the decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in the case of Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & School v. EEOC could lead to a major development in the Court‘s Religion Clause jurisprudence. On one level, Hosanna-Tabor presents important questions regarding the interrelationship between employment discrimination laws and the constitutional rights of religious organizations. The narrow issue at the center of the case is the ministerial exception, a doctrine that precludes courts from adjudicating discrimination claims arising out of disputes between religious institutions and their ministerial employees. This Essay …
November 2, 2011: The Establishment Clause In Shambles, Bruce Ledewitz
November 2, 2011: The Establishment Clause In Shambles, Bruce Ledewitz
Hallowed Secularism
Blog post, “The Establishment Clause in Shambles“ discusses politics, theology and the law in relation to religion and public life in the democratic United States of America.
Fighting For The Debtor's Soul: Regulating Religious Commercial Conduct, Michael A. Helfand
Fighting For The Debtor's Soul: Regulating Religious Commercial Conduct, Michael A. Helfand
Michael A Helfand
Although courts often think of religion in terms of faith, prayer, and conscience, many religious groups are increasingly looking to religion as a source of law, commerce, and contract. As a result, courts are being called upon to regulate conduct that is simultaneously religious and commercial. In addressing such cases, some courts minimize the religious features of the case and simply focus on its secular elements while others over-exaggerate the religious features of the case and thereby refuse to adjudicate the dispute on Establishment Clause grounds. As an example of this dynamic, I explore the constitutionality of imposing sanctions for …
October 29, 2011: Why Any Change In The Establishment Clause?, Bruce Ledewitz
October 29, 2011: Why Any Change In The Establishment Clause?, Bruce Ledewitz
Hallowed Secularism
Blog post, “Why Any Change in the Establishment Clause?“ discusses politics, theology and the law in relation to religion and public life in the democratic United States of America.
October 22, 2011: Standing On God/Pleading With God, Bruce Ledewitz
October 22, 2011: Standing On God/Pleading With God, Bruce Ledewitz
Hallowed Secularism
Blog post, “Standing on God/Pleading With God“ discusses politics, theology and the law in relation to religion and public life in the democratic United States of America.
Religious Documents And The Establishment Clause, Brian Sites
Religious Documents And The Establishment Clause, Brian Sites
Faculty Scholarship
A priest, a rabbi, and an imam walk into a contract lawyer's office. Fortunately, this is not the opening of a lawyer joke, but it might well be the prelude to a complicated constitutional question about the interaction of the First Amendment and contract law. Pastors, priests, rabbis, imams, religious schools, churches, religious businesses, and a wealth of faith-based groups all enter into contractual agreements. Not surprisingly, these agreements often contain religious language, and sometimes they even hinge on provisions invoking expressly religious concepts. Religious documents come in a variety of forms, including marriage contracts, disposition of property documents, agreements …
Why Do Citizens Litigate Over The Posting Of The Ten Commandments? A Case Study From Tennessee, Ross Astoria
Why Do Citizens Litigate Over The Posting Of The Ten Commandments? A Case Study From Tennessee, Ross Astoria
Ross Astoria
In recent years the federal courts have experienced an increase in litigation over a state’s display of the Decalogue. Common explanations for this increase in litigation refer to general political and sociological categories, such as “fundamentalism” and “urbanization,” while abstracting from the actual intentions of individuals attempting to display the Decalogue. To identify these intentions, I provide a detailed case study of three instances of pro-Decalogue advocacy in Tennessee. In this case study, pro-Decalogue advocates situate their political efforts within a narrative of American decline. This narrative is a jeremiad in which the Supreme Court is the origin and agent …
(Dis)Owning Religious Speech, Jessie Hill
(Dis)Owning Religious Speech, Jessie Hill
Jessie Hill
To claims of a right to equal citizenship, one of the primary responses has long been to assert the right of private property. It is therefore somewhat troubling that, in two recent cases involving public displays of religious symbolism, the Supreme Court embraced property law and rhetoric when faced with the claims of minority religious speakers for inclusion and equality. The first, Pleasant Grove City v. Summum, is a free speech case in which the defendant evaded a finding that it was discriminating against the plaintiff’s religious speech by claiming a government speech defense. In the process, it claimed as …
August 14, 2011: The Fourth Circuit Gets A Prayer Decision Wrong, Bruce Ledewitz
August 14, 2011: The Fourth Circuit Gets A Prayer Decision Wrong, Bruce Ledewitz
Hallowed Secularism
Blog post, “The Fourth Circuit Gets a Prayer Decision Wrong“ discusses politics, theology and the law in relation to religion and public life in the democratic United States of America.
The Myth Of Church-State Separation, David E. Steinberg
The Myth Of Church-State Separation, David E. Steinberg
David E. Steinberg
The Myth Of Church-State Separation
by David E. Steinberg
Abstract
This article asserts that the church-state separation interpretation of Establishment Clause history is simply wrong. When they enacted the First Amendment, the framers were focused on the first five words of the amendment, which read: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . . .” The Establishment Clause guaranteed that the federal government would not interfere in state regulation of religion – whatever form that state regulation took. Rather than enacting the Establishment Clause to mandate a separation of church …
Government Disapproval Of Religion, Jay D. Wexler
Government Disapproval Of Religion, Jay D. Wexler
Faculty Scholarship
The Supreme Court’s “Endorsement Test” for evaluating the constitutionality of government sponsored symbols, displays, and messages regarding religion is notoriously controversial and has engendered enormous scholarly attention. In addition to government “endorsement” of religion, however, the test also prohibits the government from sending a message of “disapproval” of religion. The disapproval side of the Endorsement Test has not been subject to almost any scholarly discussion, which is not surprising given that until recently the courts have had no reason to entertain, much less sustain, challenges to alleged government disapproval of religion. In the last few years, however, due to a …
June 15, 2011: Weird Second Circuit Decision, Bruce Ledewitz
June 15, 2011: Weird Second Circuit Decision, Bruce Ledewitz
Hallowed Secularism
Blog post, “ Weird Second Circuit Decision“ discusses politics, theology and the law in relation to religion and public life in the democratic United States of America.
May 8, 2011: Torture Works, Bruce Ledewitz
May 8, 2011: Torture Works, Bruce Ledewitz
Hallowed Secularism
Blog post, “Torture Works“ discusses politics, theology and the law in relation to religion and public life in the democratic United States of America.
Bruce Ledewitz, American Religious Democracy: Coming To Terms With The End Of Secular Politics, Thomas A. Schweitzer
Bruce Ledewitz, American Religious Democracy: Coming To Terms With The End Of Secular Politics, Thomas A. Schweitzer
Thomas A. Schweitzer
No abstract provided.
Lee V. Weisman: Whither The Establishment Clause And The Lemon V. Kurtzman Three Pronged Test?, Thomas A. Schweitzer
Lee V. Weisman: Whither The Establishment Clause And The Lemon V. Kurtzman Three Pronged Test?, Thomas A. Schweitzer
Thomas A. Schweitzer
No abstract provided.
Justice Stevens, Religion, And Civil Society, Gregory P. Magarian
Justice Stevens, Religion, And Civil Society, Gregory P. Magarian
Gregory P. Magarian
Did Justice John Paul Stevens, who retired from the Supreme Court last year, harbor a bias against religion? During his 35 years on the Court, Justice Stevens showed little favor for religious claimants. In Establishment Clause cases he advocated a strong doctrine of separation between church and state. In the most contentious Free Exercise Clause cases, he flatly opposed exempting religious believers from laws that interfered with their religious exercise. This combination of positions, unique among the Justices of the Burger, Rehnquist, and Roberts Courts, has led commentators to charge Justice Stevens with disdain for religion. In this article, Professor …
February 9, 2011: What Does It Mean To Ban State Courts Use Of Sharia Or Other Foreign Law?, Bruce Ledewitz
February 9, 2011: What Does It Mean To Ban State Courts Use Of Sharia Or Other Foreign Law?, Bruce Ledewitz
Hallowed Secularism
Blog post, “What Does it Mean to Ban State Courts Use of Sharia or Other Foreign Law?“ discusses politics, theology and the law in relation to religion and public life in the democratic United States of America.
February 2, 2011: How Is Religion Special?, Bruce Ledewitz
February 2, 2011: How Is Religion Special?, Bruce Ledewitz
Hallowed Secularism
Blog post, “How is Religion Special?“ discusses politics, theology and the law in relation to religion and public life in the democratic United States of America.
Religious Symbols And Religious Garb In The Courtroom: Personal Values And Public Judgments, Samuel J. Levine
Religious Symbols And Religious Garb In The Courtroom: Personal Values And Public Judgments, Samuel J. Levine
Samuel J. Levine
As a nation that values and guarantees religious freedom, the United States is often faced with questions regarding the public display of religious symbols. Such questions have arisen in a number of Supreme Court cases, involving both Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause issues. Since 1984, the Court has considered the constitutionality of the display of religious symbols such as a creche, a menorah, and a cross in public areas. The Court has also considered the constitutionality of Air Force regulations that prohibited a clinical psychologist from wearing a yarmulke. Parallel to the Supreme Court cases, a number of federal …
January 20, 2011: Religion Dispatches Publishes Ledewitz Piece On The Free Exercise Clause, Bruce Ledewitz
January 20, 2011: Religion Dispatches Publishes Ledewitz Piece On The Free Exercise Clause, Bruce Ledewitz
Hallowed Secularism
Blog post, “Religion Dispatches Publishes Ledewitz Piece on the Free Exercise Clause“ discusses politics, theology and the law in relation to religion and public life in the democratic United States of America.
Merry Season’S Controversy, Lorin Geitner
Merry Season’S Controversy, Lorin Geitner
Lorin C. Geitner
Discussion of the infamous "Christmas Controversy" – the legality of religious symbols in holiday displays on public land. This issue is examined both from the viewpoint of an attorney and a scholar of religion: From a legal point of view, the article examines the holdings of three major Supreme Court cases which have addressed this issue. From the viewpoint of religious scholarship, the article examined the relevant sociology of religion, which is also an important factor in accounting for why, in spite of settled precedents, this issue remains controversial.
Standing On Holy Ground: How Rethinking Justiciability Might Bring Peace To The Establishment Clause, John M. Bickers
Standing On Holy Ground: How Rethinking Justiciability Might Bring Peace To The Establishment Clause, John M. Bickers
John M. Bickers
The Establishment Clause is home to both procedural and substantive disorder. Particularly in evaluating religious speech by the government, the Supreme Court applies any of a number of distinct tests, with varying degrees of strictness. At the same time, the Court has articulated a series of requirements necessary for a plaintiff to have standing to challenge government action, only to ignore them in government religious speech cases. The resulting lack of clarity leaves lower courts to their own devices in endeavoring to calm increasingly intense struggles. This article sets out a theory that altering one of these problems can correct …
Religion And Race: The Ministerial Exception Reexamined, Ian C. Bartrum
Religion And Race: The Ministerial Exception Reexamined, Ian C. Bartrum
Ian C Bartrum
This Colloquy piece explores the constitutional relationship between religious exercise and racial discrimination in the context of the "ministerial exception" and the Court's decision to hear arguments in Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC.
From Substance To Shadows: An Essay On Salazar V. Buono And Establishment Clause Remedies, David B. Owens
From Substance To Shadows: An Essay On Salazar V. Buono And Establishment Clause Remedies, David B. Owens
Articles
Most disputes about the Establishment Clause center on its substantive meaning; whether, for example, a state subsidy promotes religion, the phrase “In God We Trust” can appear on currency, or a display of the Ten Commandments is unconstitutional. Often overlooked and lurking behind these substantive disputes is a question about what remedies are available when an Establishment Clause violation is found. Typically, an injunction prohibiting the subsidy, practice, or display is the choice. In Salazar v. Buono, however, the Supreme Court was confronted with an unusual case for two reasons. First, the doctrine of res judicata formally barred the …
Justice Stevens, Religion, And Civil Society, Gregory P. Magarian
Justice Stevens, Religion, And Civil Society, Gregory P. Magarian
Scholarship@WashULaw
Did Justice John Paul Stevens, who retired from the Supreme Court last year, harbor a bias against religion? During his thirty-five years on the Court, Justice Stevens showed little favor for religious claimants. In Establishment Clause cases he advocated a strong doctrine of separation between church and state. In the most contentious Free Exercise Clause cases, he opposed exempting religious believers from laws that interfered with religious exercise. This combination of positions, unique among the Justices of the Burger, Rehnquist, and Roberts Courts, has led commentators to charge Justice Stevens with hostility toward religion. This article debunks that conventional analysis …
Hosanna-Tabor And Supreme Court Precedent: An Analysis Of The Ministerial Exception In The Context Of The Supreme Court’S Hands-Off Approach To Religious Doctrine, Samuel J. Levine
Hosanna-Tabor And Supreme Court Precedent: An Analysis Of The Ministerial Exception In The Context Of The Supreme Court’S Hands-Off Approach To Religious Doctrine, Samuel J. Levine
Scholarly Works
The United States Supreme Court‘s review of the decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in the case of Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church & School v. EEOC could lead to a major development in the Court‘s Religion Clause jurisprudence. On one level, Hosanna-Tabor presents important questions regarding the interrelationship between employment discrimination laws and the constitutional rights of religious organizations. The narrow issue at the center of the case is the ministerial exception, a doctrine that precludes courts from adjudicating discrimination claims arising out of disputes between religious institutions and their ministerial employees. This Essay …
Salazar V. Buono: A Missed Opportunity To Clarify The Reasonable Observer Test, Sumahn Das
Salazar V. Buono: A Missed Opportunity To Clarify The Reasonable Observer Test, Sumahn Das
University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class
No abstract provided.
Education As A Counterterrorism Tool And The Curious Case Of The Texas School Book Resolution, Diane Webber
Education As A Counterterrorism Tool And The Curious Case Of The Texas School Book Resolution, Diane Webber
University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class
No abstract provided.
Religious Freedom, Church-State Separation, & The Ministerial Exception, Carl H. Esbeck, Thomas C. Berg, Kimberlee Wood Colby, Richard W. Garnett
Religious Freedom, Church-State Separation, & The Ministerial Exception, Carl H. Esbeck, Thomas C. Berg, Kimberlee Wood Colby, Richard W. Garnett
Faculty Publications
The Hosanna-Tabor case concerns the separation of church and state, an arrangement that is often misunderstood but is nevertheless a critical dimension of the freedom of religion protected by the First Amendment to our Constitution. For nearly a thousand years, the tradition of Western constitutionalism - the project of protecting political freedom by marking boundaries to the power of government - has been assisted by the principled commitment to religious liberty and to church-state separation, correctly understood. A community that respects - as ours does - both the importance of, and the distinction between, the spheres of political and religious …
A Winn For Educational Pluralism, Nicole Stelle Garnett
A Winn For Educational Pluralism, Nicole Stelle Garnett
Journal Articles
This short essay takes as its starting point on the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Winn v. Arizona Christian Tuition Organization, which involved an Establishment Clause challenge to Arizona’s scholarship tax program — a school-choice device that provides tax credits from state income taxes for donations to organizations granting scholarship to private K-12 schools. In Winn, a divided court ruled that taxpayers lack standing to challenge this and other tax credit programs — thereby dramatically limiting the Flast v. Cohen exception to the no-taxpayer-standing rule. The essay makes the case that the Winn will promote authentic educational pluralism by clearing …