Media Mentions
Time
The Post Office Made a Christian Employee Work on Sundays. Now He's at the Supreme Court
April 17, 2023
TIME — Gerald Groff, a Christian former postal worker living in rural southeast Pennsylvania, says he was not allowed to observe Sabbath on Sundays and was punished when he did not work those days. His fight with the post office—which argued that Groff’s requests to take all Sundays off led to unreasonable burdens on his coworkers—has made it up to the Supreme Court, and the outcome could affect far more than one religious postal worker’s schedule.
Short Circuit 266 | School Choice Special
April 06, 2023
Short Circuit — Nicole Garnett and Rick Garnett, both professors at Notre Dame Law School, join the Institute for Justice’s Michael Bindas to discuss the history of school choice, answer common objections to school choice programs, and walk through some of the litigation that has culminated in the explosion of school choice programs we now see in 2023.
Oklahoma Dioceses Hoping for Green Light on First U.S. Religious Charter School
March 23, 2023
The Tablet — An Oklahoma school board vote, postponed on March 21 and set to take place sometime before the end of April, has already received a fair amount of attention. That’s because the upcoming vote by Oklahoma’s Statewide Virtual Charter School Board is over something that would be the first of its kind in the country: a religious charter school. The application for the proposed school, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, was filed by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa.
Apaches get new chance to argue mine will harm sacred sites
March 21, 2023
Arizona Capitol Times — An Apache group battling a foreign mining firm that wants to build one of the largest copper mines in the United States on what tribal members say is sacred land will get a new chance to make its point Tuesday when a full federal appeals court panel takes another look at the case.
Associated Press
Apaches tell court copper mine would harm sacred sites
March 21, 2023
AP News — A Native American group that’s trying to stop an effort to build one of the largest copper mines in the United States told a full federal appeals court panel Tuesday that the project would prevent Apaches from exercising their religion by destroying land they consider sacred.
Judges weigh religious rights issues in a hearing over proposed Resolution copper mine
March 21, 2023
AZ Central — Appeals court justices hearing arguments Tuesday over a proposed copper mine southeast of Phoenix appeared to wrestle over two religious protection laws and nearly two decades of federal court decisions that could further define and interpret the laws.
The Economist
A fight in Arizona over sacred land and a mine raises big issues
March 19, 2023
The Economist — Stephanie Barclay, of the University of Notre Dame, who represents the National Congress of American Indians in the Oak Flat case, argues that the federal government has a history of showing “callousness, disregard and, I think, contempt” for native American faith. In one instance the federal government changed the design of a road to protect a tattoo parlour, but destroyed a native American holy place.
The Tablet
Religious Liberty Behind Bars
March 03, 2023
Tablet Magazine — Two court cases involving Rastafarian inmates attract the attention of legal advocates of other faiths.
The Future for Religious Charter Schools
February 14, 2023
First Things — What is “happening” in Oklahoma is a striking development in educational policy, one that promotes pluralism, enhances opportunity, and vindicates religious freedom.
Supreme Court to Hear Case of Postal Worker Forced to Work on Sundays
January 25, 2023
The Tablet — The U.S. Supreme Court will take up a case about religious accommodation this spring when it examines an appeal by a former postal worker who was forced to work Sundays delivering Amazon packages.
Muslim inmate denied rights to prayer by Wisconsin jail
January 25, 2023
WUWM — A Palestinian immigrant and Milwaukee resident is battling a Wisconsin Correctional Facility to make sure people of all religions have the ability to practice their faith.
Are Charter Schools "State Actors"?
January 17, 2023
Education Next — The John P. Murphy Foundation Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame, Nicole Stelle Garnett, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how recent decisions by the Supreme Court in Carson v. Makin and Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue could pave the way for religious charter schools.
Supreme Court Opens a Path to Religious Charter Schools
January 12, 2023
Education Next — In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Carson v. Makin that Maine violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment by excluding religious schools from a private-school-choice program—colloquially known as “town tuitioning”—for students in school districts without public high schools. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts concluded that “the State pays tuition for certain students at private schools—so long as the schools are not religious. That is discrimination against religion.”
The Indiana Lawyer
Indiana law schools recognized in report for commitment to pro bono services
January 06, 2023
The Indiana Lawyer — Notre Dame Law School's Religious Liberty Clinic was highlighted in the 2022 Association of American Law Schools Survey for its strong commitment to pro bono work. Recognized for being one of the top law school clinics, the Religious Liberty Clinic has represented individuals and organizations from an array of faith traditions to defend the right to exercise and express their religious beliefs.
Lawsuit: Muslim prayer rights denied in Wisconsin jail
January 05, 2023
UPI — A Muslim man is asking an appeals court to reverse a ruling to throw out his lawsuit that alleged his constitutional rights were violated when he was forced to say his prayers inside a cell next to a toilet at a Wisconsin detention facility.
Time for Religious Charter Schools
December 07, 2022
City Journal — On December 1, Oklahoma attorney general John O'Connor issued an opinion letter concluding that the state's laws prohibiting religious charter schools are unconstitutional.
Nearly one year on, 130 school districts’ lawsuit challenging Ohio private school vouchers continues in court
November 25, 2022
Cleveland.com — The state and a coalition over 130 school districts are awaiting a decision by a Franklin County judge on whether a nearly year-old lawsuit challenging Ohio’s private school vouchers will be dismissed or can continue toward trial.
Religion News Service
Apaches get rehearing in fight to preserve Oak Flat, a sacred site in Arizona
November 17, 2022
Religion News Service — A federal appeals court will rehear Apache Stronghold’s case against the United States to save the sacred site of Oak Flat, a 6.7-square-mile stretch of land east of Phoenix that a private venture is seeking to turn into an underground copper mine.
Notre Dame Religious Liberty Clinic asks SCOTUS to overrule lower court on NC charter school
October 27, 2022
Carolina Journal — The University of Notre Dame Law School’s Religious Liberty Clinic, along with the Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty and the Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team of the Religious Freedom Institute, filed an amicus brief in support of Charter Day School in Brunswick County, North Carolina — a case which could be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Reuters
Religious groups to Supreme Court: Skirts-only decision imperils food pantries, hospitals
October 19, 2022
Reuters — A prospective U.S. Supreme Court case about a North Carolina charter school dress code that bars girls from wearing pants could have vast consequences for social services ranging from food pantries and homeless shelters to aid for refugees and even emergency health care, according to two new amicus briefs from religious organizations.