Why teachers of religion are not entitled to anti-discrimination protections
Religion in the death chamber: Supreme Court’s 2 rulings, one of which served justice
Editorial: Trump’s right — churches should be eligible for disaster aid
Orthodox Jews back scarf-wearing Muslim in Abercrombie & Fitch case
Los Angeles Times December 13, 2014
The Washington, D.C.-based Becket Fund for Religious Liberty also has filed a brief asking the high court to vacate the decision by the appeals court. “Abercrombie should know that it can’t discriminate against people simply because they haven’t worn a sign that says, “Hey, I am religious,’” said Eric Baxter, senior counsel for the fund.
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The righteousness in Hobby Lobby’s cause
Los Angeles Times, December 5, 2013
The government and others argue that the Greens’ religious beliefs are irrelevant because they’ve freely chosen to enter the rough-and-tumble world of commerce and that, in any event, the exercise of religion is for individuals, not corporations. But Hobby Lobby’s lawyers at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty will be on solid ground when they explain to the court that both of these arguments are misguided.
White House revises birth control rule to accommodate religious groups
Los Angeles Times August 22, 2014
It’s not clear whether the latest revision will satisfy the religious groups, which are seeking a full exemption from the mandate, like the one granted to churches. Lori Windham, lawyer for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represents Wheaton and others, said earlier Friday that the group was reserving judgment until the rule was published.
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Law firm in Hobby Lobby win is playing key role in religion cases
Los Angles Times July 21, 2014
The tiny Becket Fund for Religious Liberty was the legal power behind the high court’s decision last month to extend religious rights to corporations for the first time. Before that, the Washington firm’s attorneys successfully defended a church school’s religious right to be exempted from federal antidiscrimination rules and, in another case, even persuaded the progressive U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to keep “under God” in school recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Supreme Court, citing religious liberty, limits contraceptive coverage in Obamacare
New Jersey humanists challenge ‘under God’ pledge in schools
Los Angeles Times, April 22, 2014
“People have a right to opt of the pledge if they have an objection to it,” Eric Rassbach, an attorney at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday.
New Jersey humanists challenge ‘under God’ pledge in schools
Los Angeles Times April 22, 2014
The cases in state courts follow unsuccessful challenges of the “under God” phrase in federal courts. The U.S. Supreme Court hasn’t directly weighed in on the issue’s merits, but several lower courts have rejected the argument that the phrase violates the Constitution’s ban on government-established religion.
In New Jersey, the issue is whether a law requiring recitation of the pledge in schools violates the state constitution’s guarantee that people in public schools won’t be be discriminated against on the basis of religion
Supreme Court blocks contraceptives rule for religious groups
Obamacare lawsuit forces order of nuns into the public eye
Los Angeles Times, January 18, 2014
“They didn’t think they had any other choice,” said Daniel Blomberg, senior counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty
High court may take up religious challenge to birth control coverage
Los Angeles Times, September 19, 2013
“The United States government is taking the remarkable position that private individuals lose their religious freedom when they make a living,” said Kyle Duncan, general counsel for the group, which also represents Hobby Lobby Stores. “We’re confident that the Supreme Court will reject the government’s extreme position and hold that religious liberty is for everyone — including people who run a business.”
Obama administration issues regulations on contraceptive coverage
Los Angeles Times, June 28, 2013
“Unfortunately, the final rule announced today is the same old, same old,” said Eric Rassbach, deputy general counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represents several plaintiffs suing to overturn the contraceptive mandate.
Montana: Ski-mountain Jesus statue can stay, judge rules
Los Angeles Times, June 27, 2013
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that a 6-decade-old, 6-foot-tall Jesus statue could stay on a small patch of federal land in the Flathead National Forest in Montana after an atheist and agnostic group argued that the statue violated the 1st Amendment separation of church and state.
Supreme Court weighing public school graduation in a church
Los Angeles Times, May 11, 2013
“You will see a wave of threat letters going out to school districts” if the appeal is turned down, predicted Luke Goodrich, a lawyer for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Becket, national school groups, and lawyers for 15 states backed the school district’s appeal to the Supreme Court. They said holding school events in church buildings is common around the country, and they argue that the mere presence of religious symbols does not “establish” an official religion.
A new plan for birth control coverage
Los Angeles Times, February 1, 2013 Continue reading “A new plan for birth control coverage”