Category Archives: Separation of Church and State

Public Officials Cannot Use “Religious Freedom” to Justify Nonfeasance

In a brief, one-sentence order, the United States Supreme Court rejected a request by a Kentucky county clerk to stay a U.S. District Court ruling that ordered her to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. In the months following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which held that same-sex couples have a constitutional…

Free Speech, LGBT Rights, Cyberbullying, Separation of Church and State: Bentonville School Board Drama Has It All

The relatively small town of Bentonville, Arkansas (pop. 40,000+), located in the far northwest corner of the state, has a national profile that belies its size. Most notably, Bentonville is the site of the national headquarters for Walmart, the world’s largest retail company, with annual sales in excess of $250 billion. (If Walmart were an…

The Serpentine Wall: Religion and Free Speech in and around the Public Schools [Lecture]

2010-09-10 The Serpentine Wall from Frederick Lane A lecture on religious freedom, separation of church and state, and public schools presented at the Arizona School Boards Association Law Conference on September 10, 2010. This lecture is appropriate for school boards, district staff and teachers, and parents. It also can be adapted for students at various…

Palin Pick for VP Makes McCain Panderer-in-Chief [Press Release]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact Info: Frederick Lane Burlington, VT 802-318-4604 fslane3@gmail.com www.FrederickLane.com BURLINGTON, VT — Senator John McCain’s selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin makes it clear that when it comes to critical social and political issues — including U.S. Supreme Court appointments, federal science policy, public education, and birth control — a McCain/Palin White…

Romney: “Ich bin ein Kennedy” [x-post]

[Note: This post was originally published on the Beacon Broadside on December 10, 2007.] Last week, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney traveled to College Station, Texas, to deliver a major address on faith to an audience at the George H.W. Bush presidential library. Given the fact that the speech was so clearly an attempt to…