Recent News & Columns
Here are recent columns and news items from the Baptist Joint Committee. Visit our blog and read our monthly magazine, Report from the Capital, to stay current on all religious liberty news. You can also read our press releases online.
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Florida district court: City-organized prayer vigil violates Establishment Clause, even without Lemon test
For decades, the Lemon test had guided courts in evaluating Establishment Clause cases, but the Kennedy decision abandoned it, replacing that guide with a vague “historical practices and understandings” standard.
What does Project 2025 say about religious liberty and the separation of church and state?
What Project 2025 envisions for religious liberty and the role of religion in governance, both explicitly and implicitly, is striking and troubling.
Oklahoma Supreme Court strikes down state’s religious charter school as unconstitutional
That funding would not only violate the Oklahoma constitution’s prohibition on “using public money for the ‘use, benefit or support of a sect or system of religion,’” it would also run afoul of the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.
Secret recordings reveal contrasting views of Justice Alito and Chief Justice Roberts on role of religion and morality at SCOTUS
The conversation with Lauren Windsor, posing as a conservative Christian during an annual gathering of the Supreme Court Historical Society, seems to reveal a troubling perspective from Justice Alito.
BJC urges Louisiana Governor to veto law requiring public schools and colleges to post Ten Commandments in every classroom
The Ten Commandments carry deep religious significance for many observant Americans. Unfortunately, that has made them ripe for exploitation by those who seek to use the institutions of government to promote a religious perspective.
Federal court grants injunction reversing university’s denial of religious exemptions from COVID vaccine mandate, spars over inquiry into employees’ sincerity
The decision impacts only the vaccination mandate examined in this particular case, but it does raise important general questions about how and to what extent an employee’s religious accommodation request can be scrutinized for its sincerity.
Florida enacts troubling law authorizing volunteer chaplain programs in public schools
Florida’s leaders could look to Texas for how they handled this issue. “As a growing number of chaplains speak out, school districts will see that these proposals are not simple support for students but, in fact, are deeply problematic,” Holly Hollman said.
Appeals Court maintains halt on Indiana’s abortion ban against plaintiffs who claim a religious liberty right to terminate pregnancy
Indiana is not the only state with courts considering whether there is a religious freedom right to an abortion in certain circumstances, an argument brought to the forefront once the U.S. Supreme Court in Dobbs ruled that there is no federal right to an abortion.
‘Released time’ religious instruction programs for public school students expanding with ‘plug and play’ curricula, state legislation
A controversial program is spreading across the country that offers grade school children optional Bible instruction during the school day.
First Muslim appeals court nominee in doubt
There is no place for subjecting a nominee to questions that demonstrate hostility to their faith, or otherwise suggesting that being Muslim is incompatible with being a federal judge.