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For the second year in a row, a religious Super Bowl ad campaign promised viewers that Jesus “gets us.”Two commercials shown Sunday night centered Jesus’ message to love your neighbors — even across ideological divides. “Our goal is to really show that Jesus loved and cared for anyone and everyone,” He Gets Us campaign spokesperson Greg Miller told The Associated Press on Monday. The “He Gets Us” campaign is now under a new charitable organization, Come Near, meaning the Servant Foundation is no longer overseeing it. This is the 12th consecutive year the Church of Scientology has premiered a new ad during the Super Bowl, said spokesperson Erin Banks. “The audience of the Super Bowl allows us to do that with the greatest potential reach.”___AP Religion News Editor Holly Meyer and reporter Deepa Bharath contributed.

Persons: Jesus “, Jesus, Greg Miller, Roe, Wade —, —, ”, “, Mark Wahlberg, Erin Banks, Banks, Ron Hubbard’s, Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Mary, ” Miller, Holly Meyer, Deepa Bharath Organizations: Associated Press, Servant Foundation, Defending, Hobby, Paris Olympics, NFL, Republican, Democratic, of Scientology, Mental, “, ”, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP

☆ Idaho asks Supreme Court to let abortion law that penalizes doctors to take full effect
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Ariane De Vogue | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Idaho asked the Supreme Court on Monday to allow its state abortion ban that imposes penalties on doctors who perform abortions to take full effect despite federal requirements for emergency room doctors. But a district court blocked the law in hospital emergency rooms that receive Medicare funding, holding that the state law interferes with a federal Medicare statute. The United States sued, claiming that a provision of a federal Medicare statue – the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) preempts Idaho’s law in emergency rooms. The federal law requires hospitals to provide stabilizing care to emergency room patients regardless of their ability to pay. Now the state, represented by a conservative legal group that opposes abortion, is asking the Supreme Court to step in on an emergency basis to put the district court ruling on hold while appeals play out.

Persons: ”, preempts, Lynn Winmill, “, Dobbs, Erin Hawley, Alliance Defending Freedom, EMTALA Organizations: CNN, Idaho, Idaho’s Defense, United, Labor, Court, of, Alliance Defending Locations: Idaho, United States, of Idaho, Idaho’s, “, Texas

☆ House Speaker Mike Johnson partnered with anti-gay conversion therapy group before he became a politician
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Andrew Kaczynski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Speaker of the House Mike Johnson closely collaborated with a group in the mid-to-late 2000s that promoted “conversion therapy,” a discredited practice that asserted it could change the sexual orientation of gay and lesbian individuals. Founded in 1976, Exodus International was a leader in the so-called “ex-gay” movement, which aimed to make gay individuals straight through conversion therapy programs using religious and counseling methods. Exodus International connected ministries across the world using these controversial approaches. At the time, Johnson worked as an attorney for the socially conservative legal advocacy group, Alliance Defense Fund (ADF). The Day of Truth sought to counter that silence by distributing information about what Johnson described as the “dangerous” gay lifestyle.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, ”, Exodus, Truth, ” Johnson, “, God, ” Wayne Besen, ” Randy Scobey, Scobey, ” Scobey Organizations: CNN, International, Alliance Defense Fund, ADF, Lesbian Straight Education Network, Louisiana Republican, ADF’s, Exodus, Alliance Defense, Alliance Defending Locations: Louisiana, Roman, Rome

☆ Mike Johnson symbolizes a new turn for the religious right
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Ronald Brownstein | Analysis Ronald Brownstein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

CNN —The arc of Rep. Mike Johnson’s career encapsulates the shifting priorities of the religious right in the era of Donald Trump. More than half of White evangelicals agreed with that statement as well – the only major religious denomination in which it found majority support. Yet both groups are much more influential inside the GOP coalition, with evangelicals representing nearly one-third of Republican voters and all White Christians about two-thirds. But in Congress, Johnson has also identified more with some of the party’s Trump-era priorities that revolve around demographic change. But each man appears equally committed to a vision of America that elevates the moral and political preferences of conservative White Christians over any other group.

Persons: Mike Johnson’s, Donald Trump, Barack Obama’s, Johnson, MAGA, Long, Trump’s, Trump, Robert P, Jones, Johnson “, ”, Mike Podhorzer, ” Podhorzer, Jimmy Carter, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, James Dobson, ” Jones, Dobson, CNN’s KFile, KFile, he’s, Ron DeSantis, Marjorie Taylor, it’s, ” Johnson, He’s, “, Biden, who’s, PRRI, there’s, Tresa Undem, Undem, White, George W, Bush, Obama, Pete Wehner, Wehner, David Barton, Barton, that’s, ” Wehner, ‘, ” Barton Organizations: CNN, Louisiana Republican, Republican, GOP, Yorker, Trump, Survey, Religion Research Institute, White, AFL, CIO, Republicans, Representatives, Alliance Defense Fund, Defending, Gov, Georgia Rep, Whites, Trinity Forum, ”, NBC News, Trump - Locations: Louisiana, America, White, “, Florida, Mexico

WASHINGTON (AP) — Before House Speaker Mike Johnson was elected to public office, he was the dean of a small Baptist law school that didn't exist. “The law school deal was really an anomaly. As dean of the proposed law school, Johnson embarked on a major fundraising campaign and described a big-dollar event in Houston with former Arkansas Gov. Bobby Jindal and Pressler, according to an account Johnson wrote in a 2011 alumni magazine. Meanwhile, the historic former federal courthouse in Shreveport that was selected as the law school’s campus required at least $20 million in renovations.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, It's, “, ”, Gene Mills, Johnson's, ” J, Michael Johnson, Southern Baptist Convention luminary, Tony Perkins, Jerry Falwell, “ I’m, Joe Aguillard, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Aguillard, “ Mike, Gilbert Little, ” Johnson, Perkins, Little, Barack, Kelly, Kelly Johnson, Louis “ Woody ” Jenkins, Jenkins, Democrat Mary Landrieu, Moon Griffin, Eugene Mills, Mills, ” Mills, Johnson’s, George W, Bush’s, it’s, Lamar White Jr, Lamar, Richard Lardner, Trenton Daniel Organizations: WASHINGTON, Paul Pressler School of Law, Louisiana College, Louisiana Christian University, Republican House, Southern Baptist Convention, Family Research, Southern Poverty Law, Liberty University, Daily, ”, Arkansas Gov, Louisiana Gov, Freedom Guard, Southern Baptist Conference, Shreveport Times, ABC News, Louisiana State University, Democrat, Louisiana Family, Alliance Defense Fund, Alliance Defending, ADF, CNN, Democratic, Civil, Associated Press Locations: Louisiana, Washington, Alexandria , Louisiana, Houston, Pressler, Africa, Shreveport, Shreveport , Louisiana, everyone’s, America, New Orleans, Texas, Orleans Parish, Trump’s, Baton Rouge, New York

The ruling was another big victory for abortion rights advocates in Kansas, where a statewide vote in August 2022 decisively confirmed protections for abortion access under the state constitution. Jayaram concluded that the restrictions now on hold violate a patient's right to bodily autonomy. A law that took effect July 1 required abortion providers to tell their patients that a medication abortion can be stopped using a regimen touted by anti-abortion groups. Abortion opponents argued repeatedly before the August 2022 vote that without a change in the state constitution, all existing abortion restrictions could be at risk. The state Supreme Court is reviewing a 2015 law banning the most common second-trimester procedure and a 2011 law imposing tougher health and safety requirements only for abortion providers.

Persons: Judge K, Christopher Jayaram's, ” Jayaram, ”, Emily Wales, Jackson, Caleb Dalton, Jayaram, “, Alice Wang, Roe, Wade, Danielle Underwood, John Hanna Organizations: Judge, U.S, Constitution, Utah Supreme, Alliance Defending, Republican, GOP, Kansas, Center for Reproductive Rights, Alliance Locations: TOPEKA, Kan, Kansas, Johnson County, Kansas City, U.S ., Dobbs v, Texas, Utah, ” Kansas

Circuit Court of Appeals sent the case back to a lower court to consider the doctors’ request for a court order blocking the law. A court blocked enforcement of the 1864 law shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court issued the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. But after the Supreme Court overturned the decision, then-Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich succeeded in getting a state judge in Tucson to lift that court order. This past summer, abortion rights advocates began a push to ask Arizona voters to create a constitutional right to abortion. The proposed constitutional amendment would guarantee abortion rights until a fetus could survive outside the womb, typically around 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Persons: Douglas Rayes, gynecologists, Wade, Rayes, don’t, Warren Petersen, Ben Toma, Kris Mayes, Mayes, Petersen, Toma, hadn’t, Erin Hawley, ” It's, can’t, Roe, Mark Brnovich Organizations: PHOENIX, —, U.S, Circuit, Appeals, District, Supreme, Arizona, Republicans, Democrat, Center for Life, Defending, Arizona Supreme, Republican Locations: Arizona, U.S, Rayes, Tucson

Abortion rights protesters march through downtown Tucson in part with nationwide demonstrations following the leaked Supreme Court opinion suggesting the possibility of overturning the Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision, in Tucson, Arizona, U.S., May 14, 2022. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that a group of healthcare providers can sue the state over the law because they are harmed by it, reversing a lower court ruling. The panel did not address the merits of the challenge, finding only that the providers are entitled to pursue it in court. It is instead being defended by Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen and Arizona House of Representatives Speaker Ben Toma, both Republicans. However, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered him to reconsider last year after it overturned Roe.

Persons: Roe, Wade, Rebecca Noble, Kris Mayes, Warren Petersen, Ben Toma, Doug Doucey, Jessica Slarsky, Erin Hawley, Douglas Rayes, Rayes, Brendan Pierson, Alexia Garamfalvi, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Circuit, Democrat, Arizona, Republican, Ninth Circuit, Center for Reproductive Rights, Alliance Defending, ADF, District, U.S . Supreme, Supreme, Thomson Locations: Tucson, Tucson , Arizona, U.S, Arizona, U.S ., New York

☆ Speaker Mike Johnson explained why his 'adopted' Black son is not involved in his public life
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The new right-wing House Speaker Mike Johnson has an adult "adopted" Black son. He explained why his son has chosen to keep a low profile and stay out of his public life. AdvertisementAdvertisementNewly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed the public absence of his "adopted" Black son. However, questions were raised when Michael was conspicuously absent from Johnson's public life, including not appearing in his family portrait on his website. He asked not to be involved in their new public life.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, Sandra Bullock, —, Michael, Corinne Day, Kelly, Michael —, Jack, George Floyd Organizations: Service, Newsweek, New York Times, Louisiana Republican, Republicans, Alliance Defending, Southern Poverty Law Locations: Louisiana

Evangelical Christian conservatives have long had allies in top Republican leadership in Congress. Religious conservatives cheered Johnson's election Wednesday, after which he brought his Bible to the rostrum before taking the oath of office. “Someone asked me today in the media, ‘People are curious, what does Mike Johnson think about any issue?’” Johnson said Thursday in a Fox News interview. One might call him a happy warrior.”Progressive faith leaders expressed alarm at Johnson‘s election, and his remarks on Wednesday evoking the Bible as saying authorities are chosen by God. He still voted with most House Republicans to overturn Biden's victories in two states.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson's, “, ’ ” Johnson, Donald Trump’s, Paul Raushenbush, Paul Ryan, John Boehner, Newt Gingrich, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, Matt Gaetz, Brent Leatherwood, Leatherwood, what's, — Johnson, Kristen Waggoner, Albert Mohler, Johnson’s speakership, ”, ” Mohler, Fea, ” Raushenbush, Nathan Empsall, Empsall, Joe Biden's, Amanda Tyler, Johnson “, ” Tyler, David Crary, Holly Meyer Organizations: Fox, Interfaith Alliance, Southern Baptist, Southern, Liberty University, Southern Baptist Convention, Liberty Commission, Southern Baptists, Defending, ADF, Shreveport Times, U.S, Supreme, Freedom Guard, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Messiah University, Christian, Fea, Faithful, Republicans, Capitol, Baptist, Religious Liberty, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: Southern, Virginia, Louisiana, Shreveport, Kentucky, Louisville , Kentucky, Pennsylvania, United States, Israel, America, Faithful America

☆ New Speaker Mike Johnson says the way to learn how feels about any issue is to read the Bible: 'That's my worldview, that's what I believe'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Newly-elected House Speaker Mike Johnson is not shy about his strong Christian faith. In an interview with Sean Hannity, he said the best way to learn his views is to read the Bible. AdvertisementAdvertisementNewly empowered Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said in a recent interview that the best way to learn how he feels about "any issue under the sun" is to read the Bible. "Someone asked me today in the media, they said, 'It's curious, people are curious: What does Mike Johnson think about any issue under the sun?' AdvertisementAdvertisementHe also briefly served as the dean of the law school at Louisiana University (now known as Louisiana Christian University).

Persons: Mike Johnson, Sean Hannity, —, Johnson, he's Organizations: Service, Fox News, Christian, GOP, Alliance Defending, Southern Poverty Law, ADF, Louisiana University, Louisiana Christian University Locations: Louisiana, Kentucky

☆ New House Speaker Mike Johnson once wrote that homosexuality will lead to 'chaos and sexual anarchy'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana was elected to be the speaker of the House on Wednesday. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAdvertisementNewly-elected speaker of the House , Mike Johnson, has a history of making anti-LGBTQ+ statements, once going so far as saying homosexuality was a "dark harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy." AdvertisementAdvertisement"If everyone does what is right in his own eyes, chaos and sexual anarchy will result," he wrote. While working for the ADF, Johnson wrote an amicus brief , first published by CNN, opposing a US Supreme Court decision, Lawrence v. Texas , which struck down state laws that criminalized consenting same-sex relationships in 2003.

Persons: Mike Johnson of, —, Mike Johnson, Johnson, Lawrence, Louisiana's, Hodges, — Johnson, Joe Biden's Organizations: CNN, Service, The Times, Alliance Defense Fund, Alliance Defending, Southern Poverty Law Center, ADF, Lawrence v . Texas, Associated Press, Freedom Guard Locations: Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Shreveport , Louisiana, Lawrence v ., Louisiana, Obergefell

☆ Mike Johnson elected House speaker, putting Louisiana Republican in the spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Republican Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana was elected speaker of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, ending a three-week leadership crisis that has paralyzed Congress. Vice chairman of the House Republican conference and a hard-right conservative, Johnson had maintained a low public profile until he was thrust into the spotlight this week after securing the party's nomination for speaker. Johnson voted against legislation in September that has kept the government running through November, and he has opposed assistance for Ukraine in the past. The Louisiana Republican said earlier this month that the House needs to take all necessary action to help Israel destroy Hamas. Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that Johnson did legal work for the Alliance Defending Freedom.

Persons: Mike Johnson of, Johnson, Johnson —, Hakeem Jeffries, —, Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan of, Tom Emmer, Johnson's, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Israel, Biden's Organizations: House Republican, GOP, Israel, Republicans, New York Republicans, Ukraine, Louisiana Republican, Alliance Defending Locations: Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Israel, D, Louisiana, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Minnesota, America, Ukraine, Georgia , Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin

The announcement by the Colorado Supreme Court is the latest development in the yearslong legal saga involving Jack Phillips and LGBTQ+ rights. Political Cartoons View All 1196 ImagesEarlier this year, the Colorado Court of Appeals sided with Scardina in the case, ruling that the cake was not a form of speech. “We are grateful that the Colorado Supreme Court will hear Jack Phillips’ case to hopefully uphold every Coloradan’s freedom to express what they believe,” said Jake Warner, Phillips' Alliance Defending Freedom attorney. Phillips maintains that the cakes he creates are a form of speech and asked the state Supreme Court to consider his appeal in April. Scardina, an attorney, attempted to order her cake on the same day in 2017 that the Supreme Court announced it would hear Phillips’ appeal in the wedding cake case.

Persons: Jack Phillips, Phillips, Autumn, Scardina, didn’t, Jack Phillips ’, ”, Jake Warner, “ Jack, Lorie Smith Organizations: DENVER, Supreme, Colorado Supreme, U.S, Scardina, Alliance Defending, Creative, Alliance Defending Freedom, Colorado, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Denver, Colorado, Scardina

☆ Trump’s Populist Pivot
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Susan Milligan | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +10 min

It's not surprising they're trying to bust out of the 2020 Trump coalition, because the 2020 Trump coalition is not sufficient for him to win. Several polls do show him somewhat improved among Black voters. A Quinnipiac University poll in September, for example, showed Trump with 25% support among Black voters. Abortion could be the most difficult pivot for Trump, since he is upsetting activists on both ends of the debate. There is no doubt in our minds who Donald Trump is and who Donald Trump would be if he were ever to return to the presidency."

Persons: There's, Donald Trump, Trump, Roe, ” Trump, Dobbs, Ron DeSantis, Joe Biden, Simon Rosenberg, Rosenberg, It's, Howard Schweber, Schweber, Biden, Shawn Fain, Mary Kay Henry, Henry, Debbie Dingell, Hillary Clinton's, Biden –, –, Clinton, Bill Clinton, didn't, – they're, they've, Trump's, Donald Trump Jr, Adrianne, Ryan Stitzlein, Stitzlein, ” Kristen Waggoner Organizations: GOP, Wade, NBC, Florida Gov, Trump, Democratic, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United Auto Workers, Big, Republican, Union, Service Employees International Union, UAW, Black, Quinnipiac University, Pew Research Center, New Journey PAC, Supreme, Alliance Defending Locations: America, Wisconsin, Detroit, Michigan, Scranton , Pennsylvania, Shropshire

Donald Trump is facing new blowback from anti-abortion activists for refusing to commit to national abortion restrictions and for calling Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' signing of a six-week ban on the procedure a “terrible mistake.”Speaking Sunday on NBC's “Meet the Press,” Trump repeatedly declined to say whether he would support a federal ban on abortion. Posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, DeSantis campaign spokesman Bryan Griffin wrote of Trump: “If you want to appease Democrats, here’s your guy. “I was certainly disappointed with what I heard from President Trump today concerning the Florida Heartbeat Bill,” McCravy told The Associated Press, after watching Trump’s interview. “Laws protecting the unborn are not a ‘terrible mistake.’ They are the hallmark of a just and moral society,” she wrote on X.

Persons: Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, ” Trump, Trump, “, Bryan Griffin, Marjorie Dannenfelser, Susan B, Anthony Pro, Kim Reynolds, Reynolds, Roe, Wade, Mike Pence, He’s, John McCravy, ” McCravy, South Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, “ Trump, Cathi Herrod, Herrod, Won’t, ” Kristen Waggoner, ”, ” ___ Burnett, Jonathan J, Cooper, Meg Kinnard, Michelle L, Price Organizations: Florida Gov, Press, DeSantis, Trump, America, Iowa Gov, GOP, Republican, Republicans, Rep, Associated Press, South Carolina, AP, Life, Center for Arizona, Alliance Defending, “ Locations: Florida, Iowa, South Carolina, Washington, Arizona, Chicago, Phoenix, Columbia , South Carolina, New York

President Joe Biden's administration has said it plans to appeal the 5th Circuit's decision as well. The 5th Circuit's decision partially sided with the anti-abortion groups and doctors who challenged mifepristone. In April, the Supreme Court granted emergency requests by the Justice Department and the pill's manufacturer Danco Laboratories to put on hold Kacsmaryk's order while litigation continued. Mifepristone is taken with another drug called misoprostol to perform medication abortion, which accounts for more than half of all U.S. abortions. Since last year's Supreme Court decision, at least 14 U.S. states have put in place outright abortion bans while many others prohibit abortion after a certain length of pregnancy.

Persons: Evelyn Hockstein, mifepristone, Joe Biden's, Jessica Ellsworth, Circuit upended, Matthew Kacsmaryk, Roe, Wade, Andrew Chung, Will Dunham Organizations: Alamo Women's, REUTERS, U.S, Supreme, Danco Laboratories, New, Circuit, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, FDA, Justice Department, mifepristone, Republican, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, Defending, Thomson Locations: Carbondale , Illinois, U.S, New Orleans, Amarillo , Texas, New York

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 17 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Thursday refused to allow Idaho to enforce a first-in-the-nation ban on transgender women and girls from participating in female sports leagues, saying the measure likely was unconstitutional. That argument was pursued by the ACLU's client, Lindsay Hecox, a transgender athlete who sought to join the women’s track team at Boise State University. Wardlaw said the law also discriminates against all Idaho female student athletes on the basis of sex by subjecting only them and not male athletes to the "invasive" sex dispute verification process. The Biden administration's Department of Education in April proposed a rule change that would prohibit schools from enacting outright bans on transgender athletes from teams that are consistent with their gender identities while offering flexibility on exceptions for the highest levels of competition. Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Chase Strangio, Brad Little, Christiana Kiefer, Circuit Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw, Bill Clinton, Lindsay Hecox, Wardlaw, Nate Raymond, Alexia Garamfalvi, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Trump, City Hall, REUTERS, Circuit, Republican, American Civil Liberties Union, Christian, Alliance Defending, Democratic, U.S, Boise State University, Idaho, Biden administration's Department of Education, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Idaho, North Carolina, Constitution's, Boston

Circuit Court of Appeals stopped short of ruling that the drug must be pulled off the market altogether, as a lower court had done. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice said that the Biden administration will appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, supports abortion rights and last year ordered the federal health agency to expand access to mifepristone. [1/2]Used boxes of Mifepristone, the first pill in a medical abortion, line a trash can at Alamo Women's Clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, U.S., April 20, 2023. The U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned its landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that had legalized abortion nationwide.

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden, Matthew Kacsmaryk, Kacsmaryk, Erin Hawley, Susan B, Anthony Pro, Alexis McGill Johnson, Evan Masingill, Evelyn Hockstein, James Ho, mifepristone, telemedicine, Jennifer Walker Elrod, Wade, Brendan Pierson, Patrick Wingrove, Nate Raymond, Sharon Bernstein, Trevor Hunnicutt, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Circuit, U.S . Department of Justice, U.S, Supreme, Alliance, Hippocratic Medicine, FDA, Alliance Defending, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, U.S . Food, Alamo Women's, REUTERS, Guttmacher Institute, American College of Obstetricians, American Medical Association, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, New Orleans, Amarillo , Texas, Alamo, Carbondale , Illinois, New York, Boston, Sacramento , California, Washington

Used boxes of Mifepristone, the first pill in a medical abortion, line a trash can at Alamo Women's Clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, U.S., April 20, 2023. Circuit Court of Appeals stopped short of ruling that the drug must be pulled off the market altogether, as a lower court had done. The three-judge 5th Circuit panel was reviewing an order in April by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo, Texas. They contend the FDA used an improper process when it approved mifepristone in 2000 and did not adequately consider the drug's safety when used by minors. The court also reversed the agency's 2016 decision to allow mifepristone to be used up to 10 weeks of pregnancy, up from seven.

Persons: Evelyn Hockstein, Matthew Kacsmaryk, Kacsmaryk, Erin Hawley, William Ho, mifepristone, telemedicine, Jennifer Walker Elrod, Wade, Brendan Pierson, Nate Raymond, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Alamo Women's, REUTERS, Circuit, U.S, Supreme, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, White, Alliance, Hippocratic Medicine, FDA, Alliance Defending, STATES, Guttmacher Institute, American College of Obstetricians, American Medical Association, Thomson Locations: Alamo, Carbondale , Illinois, U.S, New Orleans, Amarillo , Texas, New York, Boston

REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 15 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday revived part of a lawsuit claiming that the District of Columbia enforced an anti-graffiti law against anti-abortion protesters in Washington but not racial justice demonstrators in 2020. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. The foundation claimed D.C. authorities abandoned enforcement of the anti-graffiti law during widespread protests in the city following the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg dismissed the lawsuit in 2021, finding that the groups did not produce evidence of discriminatory intent by the D.C. government. “It is fundamental to our free speech rights that the government cannot pick and choose between speakers, not when regulating and not when enforcing the laws,” the court said.

Persons: Samuel Alito, Wade, Elizabeth Frantz, “, Frederick Douglass, George Floyd, Erin Hawley, James Boasberg, Andrew Goudsward, David Bario, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, of Columbia, Appeals, Frederick, Frederick Douglass Foundation, Life, Washington, Alliance Defending, District, D.C, U.S . Constitution, Thomson Locations: Washington ,, Washington, America, Minneapolis, U.S .

REUTERS/Hannah BeierJuly 3 (Reuters) - In state after state, conservative lawmakers this year have banned medical procedures for transgender youth. Now, a growing number of federal judges are blocking those laws from taking effect. The court rulings offer temporary relief from the recent rush of bills banning transgender youth from receiving treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy. Democrats, LGBTQ advocacy groups and health providers say the bans unjustly target a vulnerable community for whom gender-affirming care can be life-saving. The judges also have said laws banning such care violate a parent's right to make healthcare decisions for their children.

Persons: Hannah Beier, Tobias Wolff, Kevin Jennings, Donald Trump, Cynthia Cheng, Wun Weaver, Matt Sharp, Sharp, Jay Richards, " Richards, Barack Obama, Daniel Trotta, Brendan Pierson, Colleen Jenkins, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, University of Pennsylvania, Lambda, Republican, Human Rights, Alliance Defending, Foundation's, for Religion, Civil Society, American Academy of Pediatrics, World Professional Association for Transgender Health, Democratic, American Civil Liberties Union, Thomson Locations: Doylestown , Pennsylvania, U.S, Alabama , Arkansas, Florida , Indiana , Kentucky, Tennessee, Montana, Georgia, Oklahoma, United States, Arkansas

☆ The Supreme Court Has Opened the Door to Discrimination in 303 Creative. Here’s How States Can Slam It Shut. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Aaron Tang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Supreme Court has sided with a Christian graphic designer who refuses to create wedding websites for gay or lesbian couples. In 2018, the court faced a similar question when a Colorado baker violated the same anti-discrimination law by refusing to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple. The court ruled in favor of the baker on narrow grounds, ducking the broader free speech question. More than 20 states, including New York and California, have anti-discrimination laws like Colorado’s. By creating a free speech carve-out from these laws, the court’s ruling threatens to obliterate a vital tool in efforts to protect the L.G.B.T.Q.

Persons: Neil Gorsuch, ” Organizations: Creative, Alliance Defending Locations: Colorado, New York, California

☆ LGBT rights yield to religious interests at US Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( John Kruzel | Industry Insight | Corporate Attorneys Don T Want To Pay Law Firms For Chatgpt When They Could Use It Themselves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"We've seen a dramatic expansion of rights for conservative religious communities that has had a detrimental impact on equality rights, certainly for LGBTQ people," said Elizabeth Platt, director of the Law, Rights and Religion Project at Columbia Law School. Smith, who said she opposes gay marriage based on her Christian beliefs, was represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative religious rights group. Still, the ruling illustrated a disparity in how the court views protections for LGBT people in contrast to the competing conservative Christian interests, Platt said. He stood out among conservatives in his espousal of sympathy both for conservative Christian causes and for what is sometimes called the "dignity interests" of marginalized groups including LGBT people. Barrett's addition gave it a 6-3 conservative margin and recalibrated how it weighed conservative Christian causes against the dignity interests of people protected by civil rights laws.

Persons: Read, Lorie Smith, Smith, Elizabeth Platt, Kristen Waggoner, Waggoner, Jack Phillips, Phillips, Platt, Anthony Kennedy, Brett Kavanaugh, Trump's, Neil Gorsuch, Friday's, Amy Coney Barrett, Kennedy, Kennedy's, Hodges, Obergefell, Barrett, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Barrett's, Rachel Laser, John Kruzel, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Law, Columbia Law School . Colorado, Alliance Defending, Defending, Colorado Civil Rights Commission, FOSTER CARE, Catholic Church, Philadelphia, Republican, Trump, Americans United, and State, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, Denver, Colorado, U.S, Fulton, City of Philadelphia, Obergefell

[1/3] Web designer Lorie Smith, plaintiff in a Supreme Court case who objects to same-sex marriage, poses for a portrait at her office in Littleton, Colorado, U.S., November 28, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/June 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday is poised to rule on whether a Christian web designer from Colorado has a right to refuse to provide services for same-sex marriages based on constitutional free speech protections - a case that could upend state anti-discrimination laws. The liberal justices during the argument said a decision favoring Smith could empower certain businesses to discriminate. Smith thus is free to sell whatever she wants, including websites with biblical passages stating an opposite-sex vision of marriage. The Supreme Court has supported religious rights and related free speech claims in recent years in other cases.

Persons: Lorie Smith, Kevin Mohatt, Smith, preemptively, Joe Biden's, Andrew Chung, Will Dunham Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Supreme, Alliance Defending, Thomson Locations: Littleton , Colorado, U.S, Colorado, Denver, Colorado's, Littleton, New York

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