Legislation
Rutgers task force report urges university to add caste discrimination ban
By Richa Karmarkar — September 4, 2024
(RNS) — Beginning in 2020 with Brandeis University, more than 20 higher education institutions across the country have followed momentum to recognize caste discrimination in their policies. But some in Hindu advocacy circles see this as a concerted attempt to negatively label one community as 'casteist.'
Safeguarding the heartbeat: Native Americans in Upper Midwest protect their drumming tradition
By Giovanna Dell'orto — July 24, 2024
Court battle to keep Annunciation House open underscores how faith groups strive to welcome strangers in the face of anti-immigrant sentiment
By Laura E. Alexander — July 24, 2024
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Amnesty International report condemns France’s hijab ban for its Olympic athletes
By Fiona André — July 19, 2024
(RNS) — According to Amnesty’s report, France’s decision violates the Olympics' fundamental principles.
Oklahoma’s superintendent orders public schools to teach the Bible – relying on controversial views about religious freedom
By Mark Satta — July 8, 2024
(The Conversation) — State superintendent Ryan Walters has mandated that public school teachers incorporate the Bible into classroom lessons.
Lawsuits challenging abortion bans on religious freedom grounds falter
By Yonat Shimron — July 3, 2024
(RNS) — Advocates argue the legal strategy that abortion bans violate religious freedom are not yet dead. In both the Missouri and Kentucky cases, appeals are planned.
New Louisiana law requiring classrooms to display Ten Commandments churns old political conflicts
By Sara Cline and Kevin Mcgill — June 21, 2024
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Under the new law, all public K-12 classrooms and state-funded universities will be required to display a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in “large, easily readable font” next year.
New law requires all Louisiana public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments
By Sara Cline — June 20, 2024
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The legislation that Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed into law on Wednesday requires a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in “large, easily readable font” in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities.
Sunday school – Monday through Friday: Oklahoma joins states with ‘release time’ laws letting K-12 kids leave school for religious lessons
By Charles J. Russo — June 17, 2024
(The Conversation) — The Supreme Court has twice weighed in on ‘release time’ policies, and many states allow districts to implement them.
New Jersey bill allowing standalone crematories could benefit Hindu funeral rituals
By Richa Karmarkar — June 10, 2024
(RNS) — Hindu advocates hope the new bill would better fit the spiritual needs of a community that largely cremates its dead.
A court ruled embryos are children. These Christian couples agree yet wrestle with IVF choices
By Tiffany Stanley and Laura Ungar — June 5, 2024
(AP) — The dilemma reflects the age-old friction between faith and science at the heart of the recent IVF controversy in Alabama, where the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos have the legal status of children.
An American flag, a pencil sharpener − and the 10 Commandments: Louisiana’s law to mandate biblical displays in classrooms is the latest to push limits of religion in public schools
By Charles J. Russo — June 5, 2024
(The Conversation) — The Supreme Court’s approach toward religion in schools has been shifting, creating uncertainty about legislation such as Louisiana’s.
Louisiana may soon require public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments
By Sara Cline — May 31, 2024
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The legislation received final approval from the state’s GOP-dominated Legislature earlier this week and is headed to the desk of Republican Gov. Jeff Landry.
California hate crime hotline gives Hindus more evidence of shortfall in FBI reporting
By Richa Karmarkar — May 24, 2024
(RNS) — A new report found that over the past year, crimes of anti-Hindu religious bias in California were more prevalent than ever. For many advocates, this data provides a jumping-off point for increased attention from the federal government to anti-Hindu hatred.
1,200 Jewish professors call on Senate to reject controversial antisemitism definition
By Yonat Shimron — May 14, 2024
(RNS) — The professors say the antisemitism bill's main thrust is to silence criticism of Israel.
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