Items included for this subject area come from a variety of sources. The perspectives conveyed may or may not express a Lutheran ethos. They can serve our instruction as discussion-starters, examples (positive and negative), and illustrations of intersections between God’s two kingdoms, intersections sometimes characterized by tension, sometimes by congruence. Inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Argument preview: More than just a playground dispute — On April 19, 2017, the court will hear oral argument in a dispute that began as a battle over a playground – or, to be precise, the surfaces of the playground at the daycare and preschool operated by a Missouri church. The church argues that its […]
No 1st Amendment Bar To Deciding Catholic College’s Student Expulsion: The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court held that a Catholic college’s decision to expel a student is reviewable by the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. The college expelled an African American student a few weeks before his scheduled graduation, allegedly because the student retained some of the proceeds from […]
Debate: ‘Tire Scraps and Religious Liberty’ at Newseum — A 1 hr debate in video format on the merits and implications of the Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Comer case at the U.S. Supreme Court with Erik Stanley of Alliance Defending Freedom, Daniel Mach of the American Civil Liberties Union, and moderators Rich Wolf of USA Today, Amy […]
Sexual Orientation Discrimination Prohibited by Title VII: In a decision that will lead to a Supreme Court case, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision in Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, holding that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (“Title VII”) protects employees who have been discriminated against on the […]
Pastor’s Suit Dismissed Under Ecclesiastical Abstention Doctrine: The Michigan Court of Appeals applied the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine to dismiss a suit brought by a Lutheran pastor challenging actions that forced his resignation from St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church. He claims this led to his “blacklisting” in the church and his inability to practice his profession. The court […]
High Court Struggles Over Hospital Pension Dispute: Supreme Court Justices considered the cases of three church-affiliated nonprofit hospital systems being sued for underfunding pension plans covering about 100,000 employees. But the outcome ultimately could affect the retirement benefits of roughly a million employees around the country. Workers suing the health systems argue that Congress never meant […]
Ministerial Exception Does Not Apply To Exercise Science Teacher At Christian University: a U.S. District Court has rule that Northwest Christian University engaged in illegal discrimination based on marital status when it told an unmarried, pregnant instructor to either marry the father of the child she was carrying, stop living with him or lose her job. […]
Religious Exemption from Employment Discrimination Center of Appeals Court Case: The Second Federal Appeals Court appeared to favor arguments that would shield religious schools from many charges of discrimination. Joanne Fratello, who served as principal at St. Anthony’s, a Catholic school in Nanuet, New York, sued when the school opted not to renew her contract. […]
Court decides to censure, not remove anti-gay marriage judge: Here is the Associated Press coverage on municipal judge Ruth Neely (member of an LCMS congregation) who in 2014 mentioned to a reporter that she would not preside over a same-sex marriage and was then charged with ethics violations by the Wyoming Commission on Judicial Conduct and Ethics.
Gloucester County School Board v. G.G. — SCOTUSblog is covering the transgender bathroom case at http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/gloucester-county-school-board-v-g-g/ For an overview of Gloucester County School Board v. G.G. see Justices send transgender bathroom case back to lower courts, no action on same-sex marriage cake case.
