Over the last two decades, many colleges and universities strived to make their campuses more inclusive to the LGBTQ+ community. Many institutions incorporated sexual orientation into their anti-discrimination statements and policies, placing sexual identity in the same category as racial or gender identity as a protected class. Additionally, some…

In what may come to rank as one of its most significant cases on religious freedom, "Christian Legal Society v. Martinez" (2010), the Supreme Court affirmed an order of the Ninth Circuit upholding a policy at a public law school in California that required recognized student clubs to admit "all comers" even if they disagreed with organizational…

This policy brief addresses federal and state constitutional issues that arise when faith-based organizations participate in state prekindergarten (pre-k) programs and recommends safeguards to ensure that public funding of those programs complies with constitutional principles respecting the separation of church and state and freedom of religion.…

Legal scrutiny of school voucher policies initially focused on the establishment clause concerning with allocating public dollars to schools sponsored by religious organizations. In recent years, advocates asserted that the exclusion of faith-based organizations from voucher plans that permit expenditures in secular private organizations violates…

Religious practice dramatically decreases in college and students' positions on hot-button religious/cultural questions move appreciably to the left. There's no doubt that college students are on a quest for meaning. In this article, the author reports on new data that reveals unequivocally the decline of religious practice among college students.…

A federal appeals court has reinstated a lawsuit that challenges activities of the centers for faith-based initiatives in the Department of Education and other U.S. agencies. The centers are a key part of the Bush administration's push to promote the inclusion of religious organizations in government social-services programs. President Bush used…

Summarizes a complex case involving a reopened Minnesota elementary school serving children of the Brethren, a religious group that had earlier bought the school. Although no religious instruction occurred there, two taxpayers successfully sued the district. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed this decision, noting the secular nature of…

Discusses the impact of the Equal Access Act (1984) on the secondary school. Examines those court cases which served as the precursors of this act. Notes that the extent of participation by religious groups in an open forum remains to be seen. (KO)

Describes recent court decisions which have affected equal access to open forums within schools. Reports that there is much confusion surrounding equal access as defined by the courts. Notes that indecision regarding the constitutionality of equal access has led to a flurry of action by schools. Lists questions facing these schools in deciding…

Examines recent court holdings concerning the schools and the celebration of religious holidays, the establishment of religious clubs and organizations, and the distribution of Bibles. (IRT)

Shows that application of the Fair Labor Standards Act and Title VII to religious organizations and lay employees does not violate the free exercise clause, whereas a blanket exemption might run afoul of the establishment clause. Available from University of Pittsburgh Law Review, 3900 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260; single copies $2.50.…

To ascertain the knowledge level and congruent practices among public college and university student-personnel administrators relating to reported court decisions based on the First Amendment religious clauses, questionnaires were sent to a sample of 250 administrators. Responses from 169 (68%) of the administrators are analyzed. (MLF)

The Good News Club sued the Milford (New York) Public Schools in federal district court for prohibiting the group from meeting on school grounds. Judge McVoy dismissed the case; the club's weekly meetings did not fit the category of secular youth group meetings allowed in the district's limited public forum. (MLH)

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits both state-sponsored religion and state censorship of expression. In the waning days of June 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court released its landmark decision in "Rosenberger v. University of Virginia," in which it ruled as unconstitutional student organization funding systems in which…

"Agostini v. Felton" facilitates federal courts' consideration of applications of non-free-speech government-religion interaction. "Stark v. Independent School District No. 640," concerning a reopened Minnesota elementary school attended by children of a technology-adverse religious group, suggests that coincidences between…