Isaac Barnes May

Good to see the Pope use one of his first major public appearances to advocate for press freedom. Support for journalists is sorely needed right now.

Agreed — what distinguishes a charter school from a private one is that it operates as an arm of the state. Letting a charter school promote religion is no different than the government creating a church.

My brother-in-law got his job back with the National Park Service yesterday, with back pay, thanks to Judge Alsup’s order. The position could still be eliminated, but for now, he has the job he loves.

Martin Marty, RIP Via Chicago Sun-Times One of the twentieth-century's greatest and most prolific American church historians has died. Here is Martin Marty's obituary:

One of the twentieth-century’s greatest and most prolific American church historians has died. currentpub.com/2025/02/26/m...

Judge Blocks Trump Administration Policy Allowing ICE Raids in Certain Places of Worship (Gift Article) Religious organizations are challenging a Trump administration policy that allows ICE to conduct operations in sensitive locations. The judge declined to pause the policy more broadly.

I’ve been watching this case closely. Really pleased to see this injunction, and kudos to the team at @democracyforward.org who litigated it. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/u...

Fired Park Rangers Try to ‘Open Some Hearts’ on Social Media (Gift Article) Some rangers decided it was worth the risk to speak out online about their firings and share their love of the National Park Service.

Proud of my brother-in-law Josh Barnes, who spoke to the NY Times after being fired from the Park Service by the Trump administration. Josh was devoted to his work as a Park Ranger. The attack on our National Parks is an outrage.

Grateful for the invitation to speak alongside such a distinguished panel. Our report on the Press Clause, which we discussed, is available at the link below.

Pope Francis’s statement in point 6 seems like a clear rebuke of Vance’s public statements on theology.

People rightly worry that the SCOTUS case about Oklahoma funding a Catholic charter school undermines the Establishment Clause. One less-noticed aspect is that St. Isidore, the school, is "virtual." I am skeptical that entirely online K-12 instruction is ideal. stisidorevirtualschool.org/about-us

Trump demands an apology from bishop who asked him to ‘have mercy’ on LGBTQ+ people and migrants President Donald Trump is demanding an apology from the Episcopal bishop of Washington after she asked him to have mercy on the LGBTQ+ community and migrants in the United States illegally during a pr...

Bishop Budde's sermon struck a nerve with Trump, who condemned her and the National Cathedral. The administration’s support for Christian nationalism increasingly puts it at odds with the Episcopal Church and many Mainline Protestants. apnews.com/article/trum...

Trump is already delivering on his promise to go after the press First Amendment advocates worry about an emboldened Trump using civil litigation to target journalists he dislikes.

This is a good summary of some recent disturbing trends related to press freedom. Even before taking office, Trump has been using lawsuits to suppress journalism.

The fellowship deadline at Yale Law's Information Society Project is approaching. Come hang out with me and a smart and interesting group of folks; it's a great place.

Sanford Levinson's 1988 Constitutional Faith delves into this analogy. It's one of the best works examining the parallels between constitutional law and religion.

First up among the new relists this week is Apache Stronghold v. United States. For centuries, Western Apaches have focused their worship on a small site of federally owned land in Arizona called Chí’chil Biłdagoteel, or Oak Flat. The Apaches consider Oak Flat sacred land, their “corridor to the Creator” and the only locus of certain sacred ceremonies. Oak Flat is also the site of a campground owned by the Forest Service and cordoned off from private development by Congress in the 1950s. After the third-largest reserve of copper in the world was discovered beneath Oak Flat, the government decided to transfer the site to a private mining corporation, Resolution Copper, to establish a mine. In 2014, Congress attached a rider to a major spending bill authorizing a land exchange between the U.S. Forest Service and the mining company. Apache Stronghold, an advocacy group created by members of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, went to federal court in an effort to stop the transfer. The group argued that the land exchange would result in the destruction of the sacred site and thereby infringe upon the tribe’s First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion.

Very important relist. We’ll see if the Court’s solicitude for religious liberty extends to Native nations and their sacred sites. www.scotusblog.com/2024/12/sacr...

Indiana Supreme Court lets preliminary block to abortion ban stand for religious objectors The Indiana Supreme Court decided to let stand a preliminary injunction against the abortion ban for plaintiffs making a religious freedom argument.

Indiana Supreme Court allows a preliminary injunction to remain for a religious exemption to the state’s abortion ban. This case goes back to the lower court for further proceedings. This is a setback for the state and a temporary win for the individual plaintiffs and Hoosiers Jews for Choice.

Both right and left claim Bonhoeffer as a champion. Here's why his ideas fit neither. (RNS) — Bonhoeffer matters precisely because he reminds us that Christian behavior and attitudes are more than calculations for a partisan edge.

Good article this morning @rns.org
by Bonhoeffer biographer Charles Marsh: religionnews.com/2024/12/09/b...

Rothfeld notes in her WaPo review: "Peterson is cagey on whether Christianity is literally true." There is an increasing trend among right-leaning intellectuals to align with Christianity for its perceived social utility rather than belief.

Religion’s most iconic vehicle just got an upgrade. The popemobile now goes 30 mph and has a heated swivel seat.

Opinion | The Senate has a shrinking window to protect press freedom Senators should make passing the Press Act a top priority before the session ends.

Congress needs to pass the PRESS Act. Schumer is apparently set on doing it next week. There's nothing else Congress could do right now that would do more to protect press freedom and the public's right to know. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Definition of church | Internal Revenue Service Discussion of the difference between churches and religious orgnaizations.

One source I’ve found interesting to teach is the IRS definition of “a church.” Contrasting it with religious studies scholarship on defining religion could be generative. www.irs.gov/charities-no...

Given how closely Hegseth has publicly tied his family to Wilson — reading his books, attending church in his denom, suggesting he’d send his kids to his college — seems appropriate to ask Hegseth whether he, himself, is a Christian nationalist and/or thinks the U.S. should be a Christian nation.

Fascinating article. I’d always blamed Locke for supporting slavery in “The Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina,” and this caused me to rethink that.

I didn’t think the history of the Quaker Boston martyrs would have relevance in modern politics, but unfortunately, it does.

A black and white picture of a crowd posing in front of a building labeled "Sikh Temple" in El Centro, CA in the 1950s.

Spending Thanksgiving in El Centro, CA, on the border—a region with a rich religious history. It hosted a significant Sikh community in the early 1900s and became home to the U.S.'s second gurdwara in 1948, established in a former Buddhist temple.

A 19th-century sailing ship docked in San Diego harbor.

The American Academy of Religion in San Diego was a good time. Academic conferences should hold more receptions on 19th-century sailing ships. Panels were good too. It’s nice to see Religious Studies grappling with developments in AI.