“We must not accept a government that uses religion and ethnicity as proxies for threat,” said BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler in response to the new travel ban. “Religious freedom means freedom for all — not just those favored by those in power.”
A case with a thin record is raising plenty of questions at the Supreme Court. In this episode, Amanda and Holly examine the case of Mahmoud v. Taylor, which involves parents who want to opt their children out of public school curriculum they say conflicts with their religious beliefs. But, what’s the difference between expected exposure and unconstitutional coercion? Does age matter? What happens when opt-out options become too burdensome and overwhelming to accommodate? Amanda and Holly examine the issues in this case as well as the challenges for the school district and for the parents. They also share what the oral arguments revealed about the justices’ interest in the books and discussions outside of the courtroom.
In a conversation broadcast live on May 27, Amanda and Holly provide updates on a day of big news in the religious liberty world. They first look at the surprising 4-4 deadlock from the U.S. Supreme Court in the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board et al., v. Drummond case, which preserves a religious liberty principle by stopping the creation of the nation’s first religious charter school. They also discuss the troubling school voucher proposal that was slipped into the budget reconciliation bill that the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed on May 22, offering tips on how you can help stop it as it goes to the Senate. Plus, they give an update on last week’s court order stopping President Trump’s dismantling of the Department of Education and share why that’s good news for public education and religious freedom.
What was expected to be a major Supreme Court decision thankfully fizzled in a 1-page, unsigned opinion this week that ended a recent push for a religious charter school.
Hollman: This outcome “ensures our public institutions remain open to all, not captured by any one religious mission.”
Now is the time for members of Congress to hear from their constituents on a number of concerning provisions in the budget reconciliation bill being hotly debated in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The most consequential church-state case of this Supreme Court term involves whether the government could – or even must – fund religious charter schools. Amanda and Holly examine key moments in the oral arguments from Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board, et al. v. Drummond, playing clips from the courtroom and looking at how the justices may apply recent precedent to shape future law. As BJC noted in the brief we filed, if the government funds religious charter schools, it will drag our government deeper into questions it is unfit to answer on matters of doctrine and church composition. That’s not government neutrality toward religion – that’s religious preference repackaged as educational choice.
The long-running legal dispute over the land known as Chí’chil Biłdagoteel — loosely translated in English as “Oak Flat” — has taken another turn. A federal court halted a planned transfer of the land, which was scheduled to take place as soon as June 16 of this year.
Hundreds of faith leaders and dozens of faith organizations — including BJC — are raising their collective voices this week against dangerous new legislation that would create a national school voucher system. Their urgent message? Keep the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) out of the budget.
Faith.
Freedom.
For All.
The targeting of religious minorities.
The rise of Christian nationalism.
The politicization of houses of worship.
BJC brings people together to tackle today’s serious threats to religious liberty.
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Faith.
Freedom.
For All.
The targeting of religious minorities.
The rise of Christian nationalism.
The politicization of houses of worship.
BJC brings people together to tackle today’s serious threats to religious liberty.