Now that marriage equality is officially on the books in the United States, the bills racked up by state officials who decided to listen to the Religious Right in defense of a lost cause are coming due. One of those debts is apparently pretty large, as a federal judge just ordered South Carolina to pay $135,000 in fees.
Texas AG Throws In Support With Religious Non-Profits Looking To Block Contraception Coverage
Embattled Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is in the news again, this time filing a friend-of-the-court brief in support of East Texas Baptist University's never-ending quest to avoid providing contraception to its employees.
Appeals Court Rules Against Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York in Contraception Case
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled today that the Affordable Healthcare Act's contraception regulations and accommodations for religious non-profits do not adversely affect the rights of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, the Diocese of Rockville Centre and others to practice their religion.
Texas Judge Takes Down Roadblocks to Marriage Equality in Denton County
In July, Americans United issued a warning letter to Judge James R. DePiazza of Texas regarding his violation of the Fourteenth Amendment in erected roadblocks to marriage equality. We're pleased to announce that Judge DePiazza has removed the requirement that all couples married by him sign a written acknowledgement that he "'prefers to not conduct same-sex marriages' and must agree to refrain from mentioning the topic of marriage for same-sex couples 'before, during or after the ceremony.'" The new Denton County Wedding Letter and Receipt form no longer carries the discriminating language.
Paying The Piper: Texas Attorney General Faces Contempt Charge For Marriage Equality Non-Cooperation
From AU's Wall of Separation blog:
Some Religious Right operatives have said they would rather go to jail than accept marriage equality in the states. Although Texas’ attorney general has not yet made so bold a statement, he may nonetheless spend some time behind bars for his refusal to cooperate with the U.S. Supreme Court’s marriage decision.
Kentucky Clerk Strikes Again, This Time With A Lawsuit Against the Governor
Not A Sweet Home For All: Alabama Senate Committee and Judges Looking Undermine Marriage Equality
No Persecution Here: IRS Commissioner Says Tax Agency Has No Plans To Punish Christian Colleges That Reject Marriage Equality
From the Wall of Separation blog:
The far right makes no secret of its hatred for the Internal Revenue Service, but recent comments by IRS Commissioner John Koskinen should earn the agency a few brownie points with fundamentalists who fear that Christian colleges will be forced to extend benefits to married same-sex couples or risk their tax exemptions.
Houston Non-Discrimination Law Sends Some Minds to The Gutter
With the Texas Supreme Court's ruling that Houston's non-discrimination ordinance must be put up to a public vote, the Religious Right is so pleased that a law that protects LGBT Americans is in danger that they have resurrected the "pervert" trope especially for the occasion.
August Declared "Traditional Marriage Month" in Longview, Texas
Birth Control Battles Continue
Bloomberg BNA’s Kimberly Robinson covers The Never-Ending Story: More Attacks on Obamacare’s ‘Contraceptive Mandate.’”
After discussing the ongoing legal challenges by nonprofit organizations to an accommodation that already relieves them of any obligation to include contraception in their health plans, Robinson points out that a federal appeals court recently reinstated a legal challenge by a Missouri state legislator who “claims the law forces him to provide his daughters with access to contraceptive methods that violate his religious beliefs, because his employer-provided health plan won’t allow him to opt out of contraceptive coverage.”
Colorado Activists Attack Equality Verdict
Earlier this month, two citizens filed two ballot measures in Colorado to undermine marriage equality. The first ballot measure would defy the Supreme Court's recent marriage equality decision Obergefell v. Hodges, by denying same-sex couples the right to marry and instead allowing them only the right to obtain civil unions. The second would allow wedding related businesses to refuse to serve same sex-couples and instead hire a contractor to serve these couples.
Clergy Know Their Rights. In This Letter, They Prove It
The First Amendment Defense Act was introduced last month by Sen. Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Labrador (R-ID) in response to the Supreme Court decision guaranteeing marriage equality. The bill would create a sweeping religious exemption that would allow government employees, contractors, and grantees to discriminate against same-sex couples, unmarried couples, and single parents. For example, it could allow a homeless shelter or food bank that receives federal grants to refuse to serve a same-sex couple in need.
File Under: Nope
According to the New Civil Rights Movement, the owner of an Oregon bakery that illegally denied service to a same-sex couple seems to think that anti-discrimination laws mark the end of Western civilization.
Texas Marriage Equality Opponents Warn Against "Queering" Of Country
Two days after the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution requires states to license and recognize the marriages of same-sex couples, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a confusing memo suggesting that in some circumstances, county clerks or their employees with religious objections to marriage equality could withhold marriage licenses from same-sex couples.
Kentucky Legislators Prepare To Defy Supreme Court
Just days after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality in Obergefell v. Hodges, Kentucky made national news when its county clerks defied the decision by refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. And less than a month after the decision, Kentucky lawmakers have made the news again by pre-filing legislation (BR 101, BR 102) for the 2016 session that would allow government officials to refuse to issue or record marriage licenses and refuse to solemnize marriages of same-sex couples
One Confusing Detail in Wheaton College's Student Insurance Cancellation Plan
Two weeks ago, we posted about Wheaton College, a Christian liberal arts college in Illinois, cancelling its student health insurance to avoid complying with the new ACA contraception accommodations. One new detail makes us wonder why Wheaton College caused so much fuss in the first place.
Christian Baker Says It Is His "Duty To Serve" All Of His Customers, Including Same-Sex Couples
Tennessee Lawmaker Sends Letter To 95 County Clerks Urging Them To Refuse Marriage Licenses To Same-Sex Couples
Just weeks after posting a rant on his Facebook page calling for the impeachment of Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, Rep. Rick Womick is back in the news again, this time for sending a letter to all 95 Tennessee county clerks urging them to refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Forced Parenthood: Religious Right Groups Attack Pro-Choice Org With Aim Of Ending Abortion
Perhaps you’ve seen the headlines about Planned Parenthood.
Viral videos released by the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) purportedly show two PP doctors discussing the organization’s practice of “selling” fetal tissue to biomedical research firms. The Religious Right promptly whipped itself into a frenzy, claiming that the videos are evidence that the pro-choice non-profit is violating federal law. But that’s no surprise to us.