News From The Week Of May 4 – May 8, 2020
Friend:
There was no shortage of action for our team this week. While working overtime to prevent life-threatening and unconstitutional religious exemptions from public health orders, we also advocated for reproductive and religious freedom in a significant case that could impact millions of people.
In the U.S. Supreme Court, we followed the oral arguments in the landmark Trump v. Pennsylvania case centered on Trump administration rules that would allow employers and universities to invoke religious beliefs to deny birth control coverage guaranteed by the Affordable Care Act to employees and students. I joined allies and special guest speakers for a virtual rally ([link removed]) on Tuesday, and after the arguments on Wednesday, I shared my opinions about the case on a panel of experts, which you can view here: [link removed]
In the Senate, our policy team tuned into a hearing on President Trump’s nomination of Judge Justin Walker to an influential federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. AU has urged senators to oppose Walker’s nomination because he’s unqualified and has a dismal record on church-state separation – as shown by his decision to grant a religious exemption to Kentucky’s public health order just a few weeks ago. Read more here: [link removed]
Speaking of the ongoing battle over religious exemptions in statewide public-health orders:
- AU sent letters to Gov. Eric Holcomb of Indiana, Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee, and Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa, urging them to end the religious exemptions in their mass-gathering bans: [link removed]
- In California, we filed a friend-of-the-court brief defending Gov. Newsom’s public health order which does not exempt religious activities – and on Thursday, a federal judge agreed with us that the governor’s public order is constitutional: [link removed]
- Our legal team took additional action in similar cases in Kentucky, New Mexico, Virginia, Maryland, and Maine, to ensure that communities aren’t put at risk by courts granting religious privileges to any one group.
Finally, I wanted to give a huge thank you to everyone who supported us on #GivingTuesdayNow! We can’t do our important work without your support, and in the midst of this crisis, please know that we are so grateful to have you as a partner in this movement.
With hope and determination,
Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO
Trump Federal Appeals Court Nominee Judge Justin Walker Is A Disaster For Religious Freedom:
Judge Walker is not the savior of religious freedom that Republican senators portrayed him to be. His record (limited to his six scant months of experience as a judge) shows an alarming misunderstanding of religious freedom.
READ MORE » [link removed]
Federal Court Tells Calif. Church It Has No Right To Risk Spreading Virus:
A federal court ruled against a Lodi, Calif., church that seeks to hold in-person services in spite of stay-at-home orders issued by officials with the state and San Joaquin County.
READ MORE » [link removed]
We Rallied (Virtually) For A Rally To Support Access To Birth Control:
These rules are just one example of the Trump administration’s attempts to misuse religious freedom to deny reproductive health care to millions of people.
READ MORE »[link removed]
The Coronavirus And Church-State Separation: Here’s Some Recent News:
Over the past few days, both The New York Times and The Washington Post have editorialized about the pandemic’s effects on First Amendment rights, and both endorsed a view promoted by Americans United.
READ MORE » [link removed]
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