Supreme Court flooded with prayers for relief from groups eager to promote religion
Hat tip, commenter ASFT at Joe.My.God.
Supreme Court flooded with prayers for relief from groups eager to promote religion
By John Fritze, CNN
8 minute read
Published 6:00 AM EDT, Mon September 30, 2024
(CNN) Religious interest groups are queuing up a series of high-profile appeals at the Supreme Court this fall that could further tear down the wall separating church and state, seeking to take advantage of a friendly 6-3 conservative majority that has rapidly pushed the law in their favor in recent years.
Catholic groups are challenging a New York State requirement that health insurance plans cover medically necessary abortions, for instance. A group of Muslim and Eastern Orthodox parents in Maryland want to opt their elementary school children out of reading books about gender and sexuality. And a Tampa synagogue hopes to advertise its annual ice-skating themed Hannukah celebration on public buses.
After winning a string of major victories from the court in recent years, several of the groups involved are anxious for a further expansion of the First Amendments free exercise clause, which guarantees the right to practice religion free of government interference.
The free exercise litigators think theyve got the votes now and theyre being pretty aggressive about pushing cases up there, said Douglas Laycock, a University of Virginia law professor and a leading authority on religious law. What youre seeing is a response to the conservatives enthusiasm for free exercise.
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