religious freedom Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Some Faith Leaders Call Equality Act Devastating; For Others, It’s God’s Will

By NPR News March 10, 2021

An LGBTQ+ flag flies over Union United Methodist Church in the South End of Boston on Jan. 5, 2020. On Epiphany Sunday, as local Methodists celebrated the visit of the Magi and marked the end of the Christmas season, they were also grappling with the possibility their church could split over a disagreement about LGBTQ participation in the faith. A group of United Methodist Church leaders made headlines Friday when they announced a proposal that would allow conservative congregations opposing same-sex marriage and the ordination of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer clergy to leave the UMC, form a new denomination, maintain their church assets, and get $25 million in the divorce. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

The Equality Act, which would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, has twice passed the House. Republicans in the Senate have until now blocked its consideration, but Democratic control there should finally ensure at least a hearing.Read More

John Roberts Accuses Fellow Supreme Court Justices Of ‘Turning Judges Into Advice Columnists’

By NPR News March 8, 2021

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts broke with his colleagues on the court, filing a solo dissent for the first time in his nearly 16 years on the bench. CREDIT: Win McNamee/Getty Images

For the first time in his nearly 16 years on the Supreme Court, Chief Justice John Roberts has filed a solo dissent. In it, he bluntly accused his colleagues of a "radical expansion" of the court's jurisdiction.Read More

Washington Supreme Court Upholds Ruling Against Florist Who Declined To Serve Same-Sex Wedding

By Anna King June 6, 2019

In a unanimous decision Thursday, the Washington State Supreme Court upheld its earlier decision against a Richland florist who refused to sell wedding flowers to a gay couple.Read More

Business Leaders Oppose ‘License To Discriminate’ Against LGBT Texans

By NPR News May 6, 2019

Mike Hollinger of IBM joined a group of business leaders at a news conference on the steps of the capitol in Austin, Texas. The business leaders oppose the so-called religious refusal laws currently under consideration in the Texas legislature. Susan Risdon/Red Media Group

Texas legislators are considering a bill that would allow professionals to deny service to people based on religious beliefs. Critics say the law would sanction discrimination against LGBT Texans.Read More

U.S. Supreme Court Appears Ready To Let Cross Stand But Struggles With Church-State Test

By NPR News February 27, 2019

The memorial, nicknamed the Peace Cross, was erected nearly 100 years ago, when bereaved mothers in Bladensburg, Md., decided to honor their fallen sons. Becky Harlan /NPR

The American Humanist Association is challenging the existence of a 40-foot cross on government-owned land, but the Trump administration hopes a newly conservative majority will agree to let it stand.Read More

Planned Attack On Muslim Community In Upstate New York Disrupted, Police Say

By NPR News January 22, 2019

Seen in 2017, a girl studies for school while a man chops wood in the Muslim enclave of Islamberg in Tompkins, N.Y. Four people have been arrested in an alleged plot to attack the community. Mark Lennihan/AP

Three men and a 16-year-old youth have been arrested and authorities say 20 weapons and three improvised explosive devices have been seized. The alleged target was Islamberg, outside Rochester.Read More

Satanic Temple Protests Arkansas Ten Commandments Monument With Goat-Headed Statue

By NPR News August 18, 2018

"It will be a very cold day in hell before an offensive statue will be forced upon us to be permanently erected on the grounds of the Arkansas State Capitol," Republican State Sen. Jason Rapert said. Read More

Federal Judge Rules Against Northwest Tribes In Religious Freedom Case

By Conrad Wilson March 5, 2018

A federal judge ruled against tribal members with the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, as well as the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde in a case about the Religous Freedom Restoration Act stemming from a 2008 road expansion near Government Camp. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. CREDIT: THE BECKET FUND FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

A federal judge in Oregon ruled Friday against several Northwest tribal members in a case over the destruction of a spiritual site near Mount Hood. A road expansion project a decade ago destroyed burial grounds and a stone altar, along with old-growth trees.Read More