Diminished donations have led many faith-based organizations to become more creative about increasing revenue. Sometimes these organizations look beyond ordinary ministry functions to supplement income with unrelated...more
The legitimacy of political speech from the pulpit is much debated. Some contend that religious institutions should be silent, because of separation of church and state or the inaccessibility of divine inspiration to...more
10/3/2013
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Articles of Incorporation ,
Catholic Church ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Defamation ,
Healthcare ,
Jurisdiction ,
Political Expression ,
Property Tax ,
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) ,
Religious Institutions ,
RLUIPA ,
Sexual Abuse
On August 2, 2013, the White House's Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum instructing federal agencies to take steps to carry out President Obama's executive order (E.O. 13559 (Nov. 17, 2010)) adopting several...more
9/4/2013
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Electioneering ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Funding ,
Free Exercise Clause ,
Freedom of Religion ,
IRS ,
Non-Enforcement ,
Religious Discrimination ,
Religious Institutions ,
Retaliation
Have you ever wondered how the United States Constitution came to incorporate "free exercise of religion" in the First Amendment? James Madison wrote the initial draft of the Bill of Rights. He and other Federalists initially...more
7/10/2013
/ Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Equal Protection ,
First Amendment ,
Free Exercise Clause ,
Freedom of Religion ,
Hobby Lobby ,
Indemnification ,
Legal History ,
Religion ,
Religious Discrimination ,
Religious Institutions
Do you know a "place of public accommodation" when you see it? Federal, state and sometimes local laws entitle persons to the full and equal employment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages and...more
6/6/2013
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Clergy Members ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Discrimination ,
Due Process ,
Establishment Clause ,
Public Accommodation ,
Public Schools ,
Religious Institutions ,
Religious Schools ,
RLUIPA ,
Settlement ,
Subject Matter Jurisdiction ,
Vaccinations
Intellectual property is a legal construct referring to creations of the mind for which exclusive rights are recognized. Common types include copyrights, trademarks, patents, industrial design rights, trade dress and,...more
Implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is in full swing. The law requires non-exempt religious organizations with fewer than 50 full-time employees to determine whether they are a large...more
4/8/2013
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Establishment Clause ,
Free Exercise Clause ,
Full-Time Employees ,
Healthcare ,
Part-Time Employees ,
Religious Institutions ,
TRO
In this Issue:
- Key Cases
- Court Upholds Permitting, Licensing and Zoning Regulation of Spiritual Counselors
- Non-Liturgical Navy Chaplains Denied Injunctive Relief for Statistical Imbalance in...more
3/21/2013
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Catholic Church ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Establishment Clause ,
IRS ,
Licenses ,
Local Ordinance ,
Permits ,
Religious Institutions ,
Religious Schools ,
Tax Exemptions ,
Unjust Enrichment
Last February, at the request of Senate Finance Committee member Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), the Commission on Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations was formed to address tax-related policy questions of import...more
2/8/2013
/ Board of Education ,
Child Abuse ,
Closely Held Businesses ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Equal Protection ,
Establishment Clause ,
Federal Funding ,
First Amendment ,
Fourteenth Amendment ,
Free Exercise Clause ,
Free Speech ,
Human Trafficking ,
Local Ordinance ,
Mandatory Reporting Laws ,
Parental Consent ,
Rehabilitation Act ,
Religious Institutions ,
RLUIPA
In 2000, Congress enacted the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, 42 U.S.C. ยง2000cc et seq. (RLUIPA), in recognition that "new, small, or unfamiliar churches in particular, are frequently discriminated...more
1/4/2013
/ Boy Scouts ,
Churches ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Discrimination ,
Divorce ,
Equal Protection ,
Establishment Clause ,
Exemptions ,
Permits ,
Religion ,
Religious Discrimination ,
Religious Institutions ,
RLUIPA ,
Trademarks
Most secular and religious corporations have adopted electronic communication policies which state that employees have no privacy interest in their emails and Internet usage. Typically, the policies indicate that the...more
A corporation is an artificial or fictional person, ordinarily distinct from both its individual members or shareholders and its subsidiaries and affiliates, even when owned by just one person. A key reason many organizations...more
In the 1990s, plaintiffs brought clergy malpractice and professional negligence claims against ministers, churches and denominations. The claims required allegations that a clergy member failed to exercise the standard of...more