Senators scolded the Florida Supreme Court for trampling on their First Amendment rights as lawmakers began a special session Monday aimed at redrawing congressional districts the court said were gerrymandered to help the Republican Party.
first amendment
Federal Court Upholds Docs v. Glocks Law Forbidding Physicians From Asking About Guns
The 2-1 decision by a panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was a victory for the National Rifle Association and other gun-rights advocates and a defeat for medical groups that argued, at least in part, that the law infringed on doctors’ First Amendment rights.
Florida’s Impending “Pastor Protection Act” Weds Spurious Scenarios With Homophobia
The proposal is aimed at safeguarding clergy members from being forced to perform gay-marriage ceremonies even though they’re categorically protected from doing so by the First Amendment.
Palm Coast’s Sign Regulations May Be Forced to Loosen, City Attorney Warns
The changes, which would likely relax Palm Coast’s rules, would be required to comply with a new U.S. Supreme Court ruling making the regulation of temporary signs on private property much more difficult.
Florida Prisons Must Provide Halal or Kosher Meals to Muslim and Jewish Inmates, Court Rules
The federal lawsuit challenged corrections officials’ claim that they were not required to provide kosher meals, as well as the rules the agency used to determine who was eligible to receive the meals.
Will Florida Senate Recognize That Every Child Has the Right To Be Loved?
The choice is not whether church-sponsored agencies have a right to practice their religion. Of course they do. The issue is whether they have a right to enforce their beliefs against others when acting as agents of the state. They do not.
Indiana and Arkansas Retreat From Hate Laws. Florida Plows Ahead.
Between Sen. Frank Artiles’ war on transgender people and a House bill protecting discrimination against gay parents, Florida verges on making bigotry state policy again, harkening back to Jim Crow days, but against the LGBT community.
Florida Prison Ban on Beards Violates Muslim Inmates’ Religious Rights, Supreme Court Rules
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Florida and six other states could not ban inmates from growing beards for religious reasons. The case originated in Arkansas.
When Bigots Hide Behind Religious Freedom
Kelvin Cochran, the former Atlanta fire chief, and his supporters, are using the veil of religious freedom to justify homophobic and bigoted views that have no place in the workplace.
A Muslim Cartoonist on the Charlie Hebdo Massacre: Shame, Fear, But Mostly Hope
Cartoonist Khalil Bendib, an American Muslim and native of Algeria who’s known his share of censorship and death threats, writes of grief and human solidarity in the wake of the attack.