In its recent order in Mirabelli v. Bonta, the Supreme Court effectively enjoined the enforcement of various California laws and policies that would have, in certain circumstances, prevented school staff from disclosing a...more
On March 2, 2026, the United States Supreme Court blocked a California law that prohibited public school officials from informing parents of their students’ gender identity at school without the student’s consent. The policy...more
On March 2, 2026, the United States Supreme Court issued a per curiam decision (an unsigned collective decision not attributed to a particular justice) in the Mirabelli v. Bonta case. In the case, which originated in the...more
The United States Supreme Court issued a decision yesterday, in Mirabelli v. Bonta, that expands parental rights regarding gender identity transition by their child....more
In June 2025, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor, 145 S. Ct. 2332 (2025), holding that a Maryland school district’s decision to introduce storybooks with certain topics into its...more
On February 5, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education issued new "Guidance on Constitutionally Protected Prayer and Religious Expression in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools," replacing its 2023 guidance. ...more
Last month, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals furthered a trend of ruling favorably for religious organization employers in Union Gospel Mission of Yakima v. Brown. In a case specific to Washington, the Ninth Circuit...more
A former substitute teacher in a Maryland school district has appealed a lower court’s decision to dismiss her First Amendment free exercise and free speech claims and its denial of her motion for preliminary injunction to...more
In Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. v. Wis. Labor & Indus. Rev. Comm'n, 145 S.Ct. 1583 (2025), the Wisconsin Labor and Industry Review Commission determined that Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. and other charitable entities...more
Several parents of parochial school students who resided within the State College Area School District (School District) requested that their children be permitted to engage in extracurricular and co-cocurricular activities...more
Washington religious institutions and universities need to understand how the “ministerial exception” applies to their employment decisions following the August 2025 World Vision decision. ...more
Mahmoud v. Taylor, 145 S. Ct. 2332 (2025). The Supreme Court of the United States holds that a school district’s introduction of LGBTQ+-inclusive storybooks, along with its decision to withhold opt-outs from such instruction,...more
On August 11, 2025, the United States Supreme Court was asked to reconsider Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 decision that federally guaranteed marriage equality for all couples. This new case involves the four-times married...more
The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor has raised new considerations for districts faced with requests from parents to excuse students from instruction they believe is at odds with their religious beliefs. ...more
The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that a school division’s use of LGBTQ+-inclusive storybooks without allowing parental opt-outs unconstitutionally burdened religious freedom. This decision raises significant questions...more
In a 6-3 decision with the justices split along familiar ideological lines, the United States Supreme Court held on Friday, June 27, in Mahmoud v. Taylor, 606 U.S. ___ (2025) (Case No. 24-297)...more
Can a public school require students to engage with materials that conflict with their parents’ religious beliefs without offering an opt-out? In Mahmoud v. Taylor, the U.S. Supreme Court enjoined the Montgomery County public...more
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday, June 27, that a Maryland school district’s decision to mandate instruction using LGBTQ+-inclusive storybooks, without offering notice or opt-outs to parents, violated the First...more
A single exception can now unravel your entire workplace safety policy. The Third Circuit's decision on May 30, 2025, in Smith v. Atlantic City, underscores how even minor exceptions to grooming or masking rules can expose...more
If you have a grooming policy based on safety factors (like no beards for firefighters), does that trump an employee’s request for a religious accommodation? Maybe not. A recent Third Circuit decision, Smith v. City of...more
The State of Oklahoma has a charter school law similar in many respects to New York’s Charter Schools Act. Like in New York, Oklahoma charter schools are authorized by a state board via charter agreements between the state...more
In a one-sentence, 4-to-4 per curiam decision, the Supreme Court upheld the Oklahoma Supreme Court's ruling that approval of a religious school's participation in the state's charter school program would violate the...more
On Thursday, May 22, the Supreme Court of the United States issued two decisions: Kousisis v. United States, No. 23-909: This case addresses the elements of the federal wire fraud statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1343....more
Federal Trade Commission Protects Worship Location Data Shannon Britton Hartsfield and Bess Hinson-Greenspan Recent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforcement activity signals that companies need to protect consumer location...more
On January 24, 2025, the United States Supreme Court granted two petitions for certiorari in the cases of Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond and St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Drummond,...more