In this culture, almost anything related to Christianity can be deemed “offensive.” According to an attorney for the Kentucky public school board, the use of a student “prayer locker” is the latest to come under attack because the locker supposedly “violates the first amendment.”

It doesn’t seem like a “prayer locker” in a school hallway poses much threat to the separation of church and state. After all, it’s entirely voluntary to use and for some students this could be a lifeline in a moment of crisis. 

As the new term of the Supreme Court begins on October 7, we can already look ahead to an eventful nine months that will involve approximately 70 cases the justices will hear and decide. When the last opinion is published in late June, we’ll see important decisions involving: employment discrimination involving transgender and homosexuality issues; abortion regulations; gun control; and immigration, among others.

And the decisions involving some of the aforementioned “hot-button” topics will undoubtedly end up in split decisions, perhaps even 5-4, “conservatives” vs “liberals,” and the media and court observers will again conclude that the Court is hopelessly divided along political party lines.

U.S. District Judge William F. Jung struck down a Tampa, Florida, ban on therapy for minors with unwanted gender identity or homosexual struggles. The ruling said the city had no authority to regulate therapy; this was the state’s prerogative.

The Tampa City Council passed the counseling ban on what it called “conversion therapy” in 2017, imposing fines of $1,000 for a first offense and $5000 for subsequent offenses. Liberty Counsel filed a lawsuit against the regulation on behalf of Robert Vazzo, a licensed marriage and family therapist, and New Hearts Outreach, a local Christian ministry that sometimes refers individuals to licensed mental health professionals.