Home : Religion and Belief

ACLU Questions Proposed Regulations Implementing Anti-Evolution Louisiana Science Education Act (06/10/2009)
Concerned that religion might find its way into Louisiana's science classrooms, the ACLU of Louisiana, with support from the ACLU's Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, has filed comments with the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education regarding proposed regulations for implementing the "Louisiana Science Education Act." The Act authorizes science teachers to use supplemental instructional materials not approved by the State purportedly to help students foster critical thinking skills regarding various "controversial" subjects, such as evolution and global warming. Louisiana enacted the law last year over vigorous objections from the ACLU and other civil-rights and science-education advocates who were concerned that the measure would allow teachers and local school boards to inject "creationism," "intelligent design," or other religiously based, anti-evolution concepts into the science curriculum. The ACLU's comments argue that, because of past efforts to promote creationism and its progeny in Louisiana – all of which have been struck down by the federal courts – it is especially important to ensure that the Act be implemented in a way that does not improperly promote religion.

Federal Court Says Religious Monument At Oklahoma Courthouse Is Unconstitutional (06/09/2009)
DENVER – A unanimous federal appeals court yesterday ruled that county commissioners in Haskell County, Oklahoma unconstitutionally sought to promote their personal religious beliefs by erecting a Ten Commandments monument on the front lawn of the county's courthouse. The decision by the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals comes in a challenge filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Oklahoma on behalf of a local resident.

ACLU of Arizona Files Lawsuit to Protect Religious Liberty of Former MCSO Officer (05/29/2009)
PHOENIX, AZ – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona today filed a lawsuit on behalf of a former Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) detention officer who was demoted and eventually forced to leave for being a practicing Muslim.

ACLU of Arizona Files Lawsuit to Protect Religious Liberty of Former MCSO Officer (05/29/2009)
PHOENIX, AZ – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona today filed a lawsuit on behalf of a former Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) detention officer who was demoted and eventually forced to leave for being a practicing Muslim.

Groups Urge Arizona Supreme Court to Review Legality of Arizona Corporate Tax Credit Program (05/13/2009)
PHOENIX – Saying that recent court decisions demonstrate the need to review the constitutionality of Arizona's corporate income-tax-credit scholarship program, a coalition of education and civil rights groups today asked the Arizona Supreme Court to strike down as unconstitutional a program that allows corporations to reduce their tax payments in exchange for making donations to support scholarships to private, sectarian schools.

Federal Judge Approves Order Requiring Santa Rosa, FL Schools To Abide By First Amendment (05/08/2009)
PENSACOLA, FL – A federal judge today made public a consent decree requiring school officials in Santa Rosa County, Florida to stop promoting their personal religious beliefs in public schools.

Appeals Court Overturns Decision to Dismiss ACLU Lawsuit Challenging Constitutionality of Arizona Individual Tax Credit Program (04/21/2009)
PHOENIX – In an important victory for religious freedom, the United States Court of the Appeals for the Ninth Circuit today ruled that a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Arizona's individual tax-credit funded scholarship program can move forward. The unanimous ruling comes in a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona.

ACLU Applauds Arizona Supreme Court Decision Striking Down School Voucher Program (03/25/2009)
PHOENIX – The ACLU of Arizona applauds today's decision by the Arizona Supreme Court striking down two state-funded voucher programs as a violation of the so-called "Aid Clause" of the Arizona Constitution.

Senate Votes Down More Federal Funds for School Vouchers (03/10/2009)
WASHINGTON – An amendment that would continue an expiring program to provide federal funds for private and religious school vouchers in the District of Columbia was defeated today in the Senate. The amendment would have extended the federally-funded District of Columbia school voucher program, the nation’s first and only federally-funded private and religious school program of its kind. Federal funding for private and religious school vouchers are currently set to expire at the end of the next school year. The amendment, number 615, was proposed to H.R. 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 by Senator John Ensign (R-NV), but was defeated by a vote of 58-39.

Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Religious Display Case (02/23/2009)
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court today agreed to hear a challenge to a congressional law allowing an eight-foot-tall Latin cross to remain in the Mojave National Preserve by transferring ownership of an acre of land within the preserve to the local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, which is now defunct. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit agreed with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California that this transfer of federal land did not eliminate the government's endorsement of religion, and thus did not solve the Establishment Clause violation that the lower courts had already found. The government appealed that decision.