Author Archives: katherine

About katherine

Born in Texas, Katherine is now a lawyer in the northwestern United States.

Death Row Inmate Argues That Prosecution Favored Mormon Jurors, ‘Blood Atonement’

Posted on January 31, 2012 by katherine

A Utah man convicted of two counts of murder and sentenced to death has appealed his conviction, arguing in part that potential jurors were discriminated against on the basis of their religion.   After Von Lester Taylor pled guilty to … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Lawsuits | 21 Comments

Will Religious Universities and Hospitals Be Forced to Cover Contraceptives in Employees’ Insurance Plans?

Posted on January 24, 2012 by katherine

As part of President Obama’s health care reform, almost all employers will be required to provide their employees with health insurance that covers birth control free of charge. That includes religiously-affiliated organizations, too.     The Obama administration announced it … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Politics | 28 Comments

Supreme Court Rules That Ministers Cannot Sue Churches Over Employment Discrimination

Posted on January 13, 2012 by katherine

In the recently-decided Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, the Supreme Court held (PDF) that “ministers” cannot sue their churches under federal employment discrimination laws.  For background on this case, see this previous post. Relying … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Lawsuits | 29 Comments

Court Rules That Oklahoma’s Anti-Islamic Amendment Is Probably Unconstitutional

Posted on January 12, 2012 by katherine

On Tuesday, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals confirmed the likely unconstitutionality (PDF) of a proposed amendment to the Oklahoma constitution. The proposed amendment, called — I kid you not — the “Save Our State” Amendment, commands that courts “shall … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Lawsuits, Politics | 12 Comments

Court Rules That Judges Cannot Order Religious Divorces

Posted on January 9, 2012 by katherine

As explained by Eugene Volokh, a recent case out of New Jersey has found judicial orders requiring a husband to provide his wife with a “Jewish divorce” (called a get) are unconstitutional. From what I understand, if a Jewish woman … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Lawsuits | 28 Comments

Public Elementary School in North Carolina Offers Bibles to Kids

Posted on December 24, 2011 by katherine

Ginger Strivelli, a parent in North Carolina, got in touch with her local chapter of the ACLU after her fifth-grade son came home from his public school with a copy of the Bible without her prior knowledge or consent. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, General, Lawsuits | 33 Comments

Two Homophobic Students; Two Different Outcomes

Posted on December 23, 2011 by katherine

In recent days, I’ve heard stories about two different students, both expressing anti-gay sentiments in a school setting and both being penalized for that expression.  They each filed suit after their respective penalties were imposed, so they should each get … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, General, GLBT, Lawsuits | 75 Comments

Veiled Testimony: Is It Fair If You Can’t See Your Accuser’s Face In Court?

Posted on December 19, 2011 by katherine

  I have an affinity for cases in which the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment bumps up against some other law, especially some other fundamental right, such as Freedom of Speech. Here is a compelling example of just that … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Lawsuits | 102 Comments

Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right When It Comes to the Lowe’s Advertising Controversy

Posted on December 18, 2011 by katherine

We’ve heard how Lowe’s, after receiving pressure from the (one-man-operation) Florida Family Association, decided to pull its ads from the new show All-American Muslim.  Not cool. But now Ted Lieu, a California state senator, has threatened Lowe’s with the “encouragement … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Politics, Pop Culture | 23 Comments

From a Macy’s Dressing Room to the ‘Theater of the Absurd’

Posted on December 8, 2011 by katherine

… or so say the folks over at Liberty Counsel: Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, commented: “Macy’s policy which allows men to use the women’s dressing room is fraught with problems. This policy will cause significant problems … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Lawsuits | 108 Comments