Religion Law Commons^™

Are Catholics Unreliable From A Democratic Point Of View? Thoughts On The Occasion Of The Sixtieth Anniversary Of Paul Blanshard's American Freedom And Catholic Power, Patrick Mckinley Brennan

Working Paper Series

From 1949 to 1950, Paul Blanshard’s American Freedom and Catholic Power dominated the New York Times best-seller list for eleven months, having captured the attention of American intelligentsia with its claim that “the Catholic problem is still with us” and its call for the formation of a “resistance movement.” Sixty years later, Blanshard’s bigotry is no longer defended in educated circles. Questions remain, though, concerning why Blanshard’s ideas made progress in some of the smartest American minds and throughout much of the culture. Was Blanshard onto something subversive about Catholics? Are Catholics’ commitments not compatible with the demands of American …

Are Legislation And Rules A Problem In Law? Thoughts On The Work Of Joseph Vining, Patrick Mckinley Brennan

Working Paper Series

Written for a conference at Villanova Law School held to celebrate and explore the work of Joseph Vining over forty years, this paper considers the adequacy of Vining’s phenomenology of law. Specifically, it inquires into the accuracy of Vining’s startling claims that “legislation is a problem in law, not central to law” and “rules are nowhere to be found” in law. The argument of the paper is that when -- but only when -- law is understood to be an ordinance of reason in the mind of him or them who have care of the community, for the common good, …

Islamic Law And The Making And Remaking Of The Iraqi Legal System, Kristen Stilt

Faculty Working Papers

This article examines the drafting process of the new Iraqi constitution, which took place in 2004 and 2005 as a result of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. It addresses the role of Islamic law in the Iraqi legal system prior to the invasion and considers how a new constitution may deal with the question and analyzes, based on Iraq's history, current situation, and the experience of other similar countries, how Islamic law may be retained or incorporated into the new Iraqi legal system. While the constitutional discussion is important, the Article also shows who debates over Islamic law in Iraq …

Ijtihad Institutions: The Key To Islamic Democracy Bridging And Balancing Political And Intellectual Islam, Adham A. Hashish

Richmond Journal of Global Law & Business

No abstract provided.

How Shall I Praise Thee? Brian Leiter On Respect For Religion, Andrew Koppelman

Faculty Working Papers

In two recent papers, Brian Leiter argues that there is no good reason for law to single out religion for special treatment, and that religion is not an apt candidate for respect in the "thick" sense of being an object of favorable appraisal. Both arguments depend on a radically impoverished conception of what religion is and what it does. In this paper, I explain what Leiter leaves out, and offer an hypothesis about why. I also engage with some related reflections by Simon Blackburn and Timothy Macklem, both of whom influence, in different ways, Leiter's analysis.

No Respect: Brian Leiter On Religion, Andrew Koppelman

Faculty Working Papers

In two recent papers, Brian Leiter argues that there is no good reason for law to single out religion for special treatment, and that religion is not an apt candidate for respect in the "thick" sense of being an object of favorable appraisal. Both arguments depend on a radically impoverished conception of what religion is and what it does. In this paper, I explain what Leiter leaves out, and offer an hypothesis about why. I also engage with some related reflections by Simon Blackburn and Timothy Macklem, both of whom influence, in different ways, Leiter's analysis.

Public And Private As Viewed Through The Work Of The Muhtasib, Kristen Stilt, Roy Mottahedeh

Faculty Working Papers

This article examines the distinctions between public and private space in classical Islamic law through the work of the muhtasib, a legal official charged with the inspection of public places and behavior in towns of the premodern Middle East and North Africa (and in some Muslim communities outside of these areas).

Recognizing The Individual: The Muhtasibs Of Early Mamluk Cairo And Fustat, Kristen Stilt

Faculty Working Papers

This Article studies the biographies of several key muhtasibs in Mamluk Cairo and Fustat to understand the types of individuals who held the position and how the individual background, education, status among the populace, relationship to the ruling elite, and the means of obtaining the position of each contributed to how the particular muhtasib functioned in office.

Price Setting And Hoarding In Mamluk Egypt, Kristen Stilt

Faculty Working Papers

This Article studies the legal position of the muhtasib in medieval Cairo, using the biographical information available about the individuals who held the position to understand the actions they took in office. The muhtasib, who was an inspector of public places and markets in particular, was a key legal actor in terms of applying law immediately to a situation he encountered; he was a common face of the law in society. This Article, influenced in method by legal realism, shows that in addition to the law that a particular muhtasib intended to apply to a particular case, biographical information is …

How Is Islam The Solution?: Constitutional Visions Of Contemporary Islamists, Kristen Stilt

Faculty Working Papers

This Article uses documents issued by the Muslim Brotherhood, in particular the lengthy 2007 "Political Party" Platform, and personal interviews with Brotherhood leadership to examine the group's specific goals and beliefs for the place of religion within the structure of the Egyptian legal system. While many important angles need to be explored, I focus on one topic that has drawn the most attention to the Brotherhood, the place of religion in the state, or religion defined and enforced by state institutions. I show that the Brotherhood carefully acknowledges the existing constitutional structure and jurisprudence on the position of Islam in …

The Protection Of Religious Liberty Under The American Constitution, Robert A. Sedler

Law Faculty Research Publications

Religious liberty is a favored value under the United States Constitution. The Constitution provides two-fold protection to religious liberty by means of the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause. The Establishment Clause, sometimes referred to as the separation of church and state, requires that the government maintain a course of complete official neutrality toward religion. The government cannot favor one religion over another, nor can it favor religion over non-religion. The Free Exercise Clause is a textual guarantee of peoples' right to practice their religion and to hold and act on religious beliefs. The First Amendment's guarantee of freedom …

In Search Of (Maintaining) The Truth: The Use Of Copyright Law By Religious Organizations, David A. Simon

Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review

The goal of this Article is to do what others have not: determine whether religious organizations should use copyright law to advance their goals of censorship and doctrinal purity. Answering this question entails a two-step analysis. First, the religious motivations must be compared with the underlying theories of, or justifications for, copyright law. Whether those principles align or conflict with religious motivations will inform our normative answer. Regardless of the answer to the aforementioned inquiry, the second step analyzes whether substantive copyright law doctrine facilitates or impedes the achievement of the ends advanced by these religious motivations. As a result …

Insubstantial Burdens: The Case For Government Employee Exemptions To Same-Sex Marriage Laws, Robin Fretwell Wilson

Scholarly Articles

The case for accommodating religious objectors to same-sex marriage has met significant resistance on a number of fronts. Some believe that religious exemptions permit objectors to dodge legal duties to serve same-sex couples that would otherwise apply. Critics charge that, if extended to public employees, such exemptions would burden the ability of same-sex couples to marry. Others argue that exemptions coddle wrong-headed people who really do not have a legitimate reason for objecting and who, therefore, should not be legally excused. A review of the nearly half-dozen new same-sex marriage laws enacted in the past year suggests that the least …

Shari'ah And Choice: What The United States Should Learn From Islamic Law About The Role Of Victims' Families In Death Penalty Cases, 44 J. Marshall L. Rev. 1 (2010), Susan C. Hascall

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Towards A New Lens Of Analysis: The History And Future Of Religious Exemptions To Child Neglect Statutes, Gregory Engle

Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest

In order to analyze the religious exemptions, this paper will begin with their history. Part II looks at the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1974 (CAPTA) the statute that precipitated their spread, as well as the justifications that it was bolstered upon: Free Exercise of religion and parental rights. The Equal Protection critique follows as Part III, followed by Part IV that discusses the traditional critique, grounded in the Establishment Clause. In Part V, the article will finish with an explanation of why the Equal Protection critique is a much stronger criticism.

Mulieris Dignitatem: Pornography And The Dignity Of The Soul - An Exploration Of Dignity In A Protected Speech Paradigm, Mary Graw Leary

Scholarly Articles

This article, part of a symposium celebrating the 20th anniversary of Mulieris Dignitatem, reflects on Mulieris Dignitatem’s teachings, and how they can inform the issue of pornography. Modern day pornography has increased in both its quantity and severity of content. Mulieris Dignitatem offers a pathway out of this reality with its focus on the concept of dignity. The article reviews John Paul II’s emphasis on the dignity of woman and applies it to the modern day issue of pornography. The article suggests a paradigm shift from examining pornography solely through a speech and expression lens to examining the issue through …

A Non-Fatal Collision: Where Religious Land Uses And Community Interests Meet, Adam J. Macleod

Scholarly Articles

This paper grapples with the question how best to interpret the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, which creates a prophylactic remedy in favor of religious land users burdened by local land use regulations. Where the burden on religious exercise is substantial, RLUIPA subjects the regulation to strict scrutiny review. Several scholars object to RLUIPA on the grounds that it violates principles of federalism and equality between religious and non-religious landowners. Other scholars make the case for an expansive RLUIPA on the ground that the First Amendment privileges religious exercise over other types of land use.

This article first …

Comments: The Religious Land Use And Institutionalized Persons Act And Mega-Churches: Demonstrating The Limits Of Religious Land Use Exemptions In Federal Legislation, Heather M. Welch

University of Baltimore Law Review

No abstract provided.

In God We Trust: The Judicial Establishment Of American Civil Religion, 43 J. Marshall L. Rev. 869 (2010), James J. Knicely, John W. Whitehead

UIC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Persecution Of Coptic Christians In Modern Egypt, Alla Rubinstein

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The Christian community of Egypt dates back to the seventeenth century and comprises 12 per cent of the population today. As one of the oldest churches of the world, the Coptic Christian Church, first formed in Alexandria, has stood resilient and faithful to its traditions against intolerance, siege and persecutions. Having been present in most institutions of the state among the overwhelmingly Sunni-Muslim population, Copts are not new to the slow process of Islamization that Egypt has been undergoing for the last twenty years. What has been unique to the recent Coptic experience is the forced integration of Shari’a law …

On Visibly Dangerous Silliness, Anthony Chase

Human Rights & Human Welfare

“Silly” is what Ramadan calls the Swiss minaret referendum. He urges, in response to its passage, that Swiss Muslims be more rather than less visible. Each point is worth reflection. How and why does silliness transform itself into danger? And how and why is visibility the correct response to such danger—even if it leads in directions Ramadan may not suspect?

Government Identity Speech And Religion: Establishment Clause Limits After Summum, 19 Wm. & Mary Bill Rts. J. 1 (2010), Mary Jean Dolan

UIC Law Open Access Faculty Scholarship

This Article offers in-depth analysis of the opinions in Pleasant Grove v. Summum. Summum is a significant case because it expands "government speech" to cover broad, thematic government identity messages in the form of donated monuments, including the much-litigated Fraternal Order of Eagles-donated Ten Commandments. The Article explores the fine distinctions between the new "government speech doctrine"- a defense in Free Speech Clause cases that allows government to express its own viewpoint and to reject alternative views-and "government speech" analyzed under the Establishment Clause, which prohibits government from expressing a viewpoint on religion, and from favoring some religions over others. …

Towards A New Lens Of Analysis: The History And Future Of Religious Exemptions To Child Neglect Statutes, Gregory Engle

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

In order to analyze the religious exemptions, this paper will begin with their history. Part II looks at the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1974 (CAPTA) the statute that precipitated their spread, as well as the justifications that it was bolstered upon: Free Exercise of religion and parental rights. The Equal Protection critique follows as Part III, followed by Part IV that discusses the traditional critique, grounded in the Establishment Clause. In Part V, the article will finish with an explanation of why the Equal Protection critique is a much stronger criticism.

The Treatment Of Isolationist Minorities, Gabriel Rauterberg

Faculty Scholarship

This Note examines what may be the most radical challenge posed by religious subcultures to the liberal politics of modern industrial nations – that of isolationist, nonliberal ( or even illiberal) religious minorities. These subcultures do not seek to integrate with mainstream society or gain power within it, but to withdraw in order to maintain norms widely discrepant from those that are socially dominant. They often seek to place restrictions upon their own members' freedom or activities, in part to maintain the group's differences from the greater society. These cultures, characterized by features as distinctive as collective property ownership, pacificism, …

Fundamental Questions About The Religion Clauses: Reflections On Some Critiques, Kent Greenawalt

Faculty Scholarship

This essay responds to some major critiques of my work on the religion clauses. The effort has seemed worth undertaking because many issues the critics raise lie at the core of one’s approach to free exercise and nonestablishment, and some of those issues matter greatly for constitutional adjudication more broadly. Like any author, perhaps, my reaction to reading some comments has been that I did not quite say that, but I shall not bore you with these quibbles about how well I explained myself in the past. Rather, I shall try to confront the genuinely basic questions that many of …

Taxpayer Standing From Flast To Hein, Carl H. Esbeck

Faculty Publications

This essay plays off a critique by Professor Maya Manian of an article where I discussed the decision in Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc., 551 U.S. 587 (2007) (plurality opinion). While Professor Manian was concerned about how the result in Hein would lead to under enforcement of church-state separation, my article had utilized Hein, and more generally the law of taxpayer standing beginning with Flast v. Cohen (1968), to look beyond the question of aid to religion. Rather, I began by showing that the only cases in which the Court had announced a “generalized grievance” and thereby denied …

Religious Liberty After Gonzales: A Look At State Rfras, Christopher C. Lund

Law Faculty Research Publications

No abstract provided.

Exploring Free Exercise Doctrine: Equal Liberty And Religious Exemptions, Christopher C. Lund

Law Faculty Research Publications

No abstract provided.

Love, Truth And The Economy: A Reflection On Benedict Xvi's Caritas In Veritate, John M. Breen

Faculty Publications & Other Works

No abstract provided.

Fighting The New Wars Of Religion: The Need For A Tolerant First Amendment, Leslie C. Griffin

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.