It’s been quite the week for the Supreme Court, releasing a decision in a case we were watching and responding to the unprecedented leak of a draft opinion in a case that captured the attention of the entire country. In this episode, Holly and Amanda break down Monday’s ruling in Shurtleff v. Boston – about a city flying a Christian flag – and the recent decision in Ramirez v. Collier – concerning religion in the execution chamber. They also react to the big Supreme Court news this week: the leak of a draft opinion for Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the case challenging a Mississippi law that restricts abortion. Amanda and Holly share their reactions to what’s happening at the Court and preview what’s to come.
The Supreme Court’s docket is deep with cases impacting religious freedom, and we learned this week that Justice Stephen Breyer plans to retire. What does it all mean? Amanda and Holly take a look at what’s facing the Court, including recent oral arguments in the Christian flag case that deserve our attention and a new case about a coach’s prayer practice on the football field. They talk about decisions we’re waiting for, cases the Court might still take, and cases the Court declined to hear. In segment three, Amanda and Holly discuss the recent hostage crisis at a Jewish synagogue in Texas that happened the day before Religious Freedom Day, highlighting the chasm between the promise and reality of religious freedom today.
Before we white people speak, we need to listen. BJC is doing just that this year, as we focus on learning from BIPOC scholars, theologians, preachers, writers, philosophers, poets, prophets and podcasters about faith freedom for all. We are intentionally working to decenter the voices that have taken up almost all of the conversation about religious freedom to this point.
Our daily lives are changing at a rapid pace, only eclipsed by the frightening speed with which the coronavirus is spreading in our country and around the world. Faith surfaces for many as the fundamental framework that gives overwhelming comfort and meaning to life.
BJC Associate General Counsel Jennifer Hawks and Associate Director of Mobilization Christine Browder will be in Round Rock, Texas, to provide briefings on major issues related to religious liberty and offer guidance on how to raise your voice effectively.
From our beginning in 1936, BJC has found strength and purpose in collaborating with a diverse array of groups, both religious and secular.
Bills requiring or at least authorizing school districts to post “In God We Trust” in schools have become commonplace, and it’s probably not a coincidence.
