Cases

Case Page: Sharonell Fulton, et al. v. City of Philadelphia

Summary On March 15, 2018, Philadelphia stopped placing foster children with families working with Catholic Social Services (CSS), which was just one among 30 foster agencies in the City. The City terminated the contract with CSS and made it illegal for CSS to continue providing any foster care services unless it abandoned its longstanding religious beliefs and instead endorsed the City’s…

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Case Page: Baker v. Edwards

Summary In 2018, the South Carolina Department of Health & Human Services determined that the state’s abortion providers were unqualified to receive state Medicaid funding. Planned Parenthood and Julie Edwards, a state resident demanding to use Medicaid services at Planned Parenthood, sued arguing that states should not be permitted to disqualify abortion providers.  While the…

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Case Page: Bruni v. City of Pittsburgh

Summary Pittsburgh enacted a law that bans speech and advocacy—even prayer—in painted zones outside medical facility entrances. The city then chose to paint such zones outside only two facilities in the entire metropolitan area, Pittsburgh’s two abortion clinics, and enforced the ban against pro-life speech only. When the city leaders enacted the ordinance, Pitts. Code §…

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Religious Liberty Case Review: Independence Law Center

The Independence Law Center has enhanced your ability to live out your faith. Here are some of the ways we have protected ministries, protected religious liberty in our education systems and preserved your right to live out your values in the past year alone. These services are provided free of charge thanks to concerned individuals and families financially partnering with us. 1. Mechanicsburg,…

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Case Page: Christians In Action Club v. Mechanicsburg Area School District

Summary Student leaders of a Bible club filed a lawsuit against Mechanicsburg Area School District (MASD) over unconstitutional policies that violated students' rights as well as their discriminatory practices that led to denying permission to offer Bibles during non-instructional times, specifically from a table during lunch. When students enter a government school, they…

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Case Page: Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission

Jack Phillips, a Colorado native and cake artist, opened Masterpiece Cakeshop in 1993 and has served the community of Lakewood, Colorado for the last 23 years. In July 2012, two men came into Jack’s bakery requesting a wedding cake for their same-sex ceremony. Jack declined the request, saying he could not design cakes for same-sex wedding ceremonies. He offered to make the couple any other type…

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