LAS VEGAS — A school board in Nevada has decided to no longer open its public meetings with prayer following receipt of a letter from the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF). FFRF had written to the Clark County School District in December to state that “a concerned local resident” had advised that the board […]
WHEELING, W.Va. — A city in West Virginia has replaced the presentation of a prayer prior to city council meetings with a generalized, secular invocation following receipt of a complaint from the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF). FFRF had sent a letter to Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott on Jan. 9 after being informed by […]
DETROIT — The police chief of Detroit, Michigan says he won’t agree to a request from the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) to cease holding police academy graduations at local churches. “We stand firm,” Chief James Craig told the Detroit News. “As an option, we’ll continue to use houses of worship for our graduations. That […]
EFFINGHAM, Ill. — The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) has requested that a city in Illinois remove a cross from a mural painted on a tunnel on city-owned property. A “Let the Cross Stay” petition has consequently been launched in an effort to urge city council members to uphold the mural — a petition […]
JASPER, Ala. — A sheriff’s office in Alabama says that it will not be responding to a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) requesting that it cease calling upon the community to pray in the wake of tragedies. The Walker County Sheriff’s Office does not believe it is in violation of the U.S. […]
JASPER, Ala. — An Alabama sheriff’s office says that it “won’t bow” to the bidding of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) after it received a letter requesting that Sheriff Nick Smith cease promoting prayer on social media as it favors religion over non-religion. FFRF contacted Sheriff Nick Smith of the Walker County Sheriff’s Office […]
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A federal judge nominated to the bench by then-President George W. Bush has ruled in favor of a professing atheist who sued the Kentucky Department of Motor Vehicles for rejecting his application for a specialty license plate that reads “I’m God.” “[T]he law as applied to Mr. Hart is neither reasonable nor viewpoint […]
PHILADELPHIA — The Third Circuit Court of Appeals has unanimously ruled that a Christian cross included on a Pennsylvania county’s official seal does not violate the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution, pointing to a recent ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that allowed a cross veterans monument to remain on public property. “The Establishment […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently updated its policies surrounding the use of religious elements in publicly viewable displays in VA facilities nationwide in order to ensure that religious freedom is protected. “We want to make sure that all of our veterans and their families feel welcome at VA, no matter […]
ATLANTA — The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Georgia has ruled that commissioners for one county in Florida were violating the Establishment Clause by “picking and choosing which religions to invite and which to reject” for the invocation presented at the start of each public meeting, and by preferring Christianity “to the exclusion of […]