Passed 25 years ago, the federal Equal Access Act protects students who want to start religious, non-curricular clubs at a public school. But some schools, writes Steve West at WORLD Magazine, still don’t follow the law. West writes about three situations in which school officials have either denied or revoked access to religious student groups—two of which prompted Alliance Defending Freedom to formally warn the schools. Most recently, a Montana high school revoked the group status of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes over its stance on marriage and sexuality. Similarly, a Florida high school denied a student the right to start a pro-life club on campus. As ADF Legal Counsel Jonathan Larcomb tells WORLD, schools’ staggering ignorance of the Equal Access Act is "puzzling" at best.
-The Editors

Read more at WORLD

Another religious freedom case is on the U.S. Supreme Court docket. The high court has decided to hear two cases—which will be argued together—originating out of California. In both cases, a Catholic school declined to renew the contract of a teacher, who in turn sued the school for discrimination. Although the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled in favor of the teachers, the schools say that the court’s opinion violates the "ministerial exception," a principle rooted in the First Amendment’s free exercise jurisprudence. The schools argue that, because they entrust their teachers to teach religious content to children, the rule shields them from unjust government intrusion into their personnel decisions. As counsel for the schools, Becket Fund’s Montserrat Alvarado puts it: "If courts can second-guess a Catholic school’s judgment about who should teach religious beliefs to fifth graders, then neither Catholics nor any other religious group can be confident in their ability to convey the faith to the next generation."
-The Editors

Read more at USA Today

When biology is ignored, liberty goes on the chopping block, writes George Mason University Professor Walter E. Williams at The Daily Signal. Williams surveys a variety of situations where gender ideology has nullified common sense and liberty itself. From restroom access in a Florida high school, to a Canadian activist harassing female beauticians, to Colorado's pursuit of Jack Phillips for declining to create a "gender transition" cake, Williams wonders if medical professionals will be the next targets for treating someone according to their biological sex. Williams also observes that fear is driving biologists in academia to remain silent, while warning that forced compliance will be the result if freedom-minded Americans refuse to stand up for biological reality.
-The Editors

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As the Democratic Party pushes for more relaxed abortion laws, one Louisiana politician is bucking the trend. Josh Shepherd of The Federalist interviews state senator-elect Katrina Jackson, who, as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, wrote a state law that requires abortionists to have admitting privileges to a hospital within a 30-minute drive. The law is being challenged in U.S. Supreme Court case June Medical Services v. Gee, and Rep. Jackson is preparing to argue before the Supreme Court along with the state attorney general's office. Rep. Jackson says the reason behind the law is simple: The state requires all outpatient physicians to have admitting privileges, and there’s no reason to lower that standard when it comes to abortion. In addition to talking June Medical Services, Rep. Jackson gives insight into how her faith guides her in her public role, and what it’s like to be a pro-life Democrat when that combination is at an all-time low.
-The Editors

Read more at The Federalist