Following a surprise move by the Charlotte City Council, Gov. Pat McCrory said Monday he would call a special session to consider repeal of House Bill 2. There's nothing wrong with HB2. The bill stopped Charlotte from forcibly putting men into women's bathrooms. A repeal of HB2 would open up the door for Charlotte and other cities to endanger North Carolina citizens all over again. We stand against a repeal, and respectfully ask the General Assembly to stand strong in support of HB2. No compromise on the safety of our women and children is acceptable.
The state of Massachusetts has scaled back some parts of its "Gender Identity Guidance," which could have landed pastors in jail if they tried to prevent men from using the women's restroom at their churches. The state has now made an exception for "religious organizations." While that certainly is a step in the right direction since September, women using the bathroom in businesses or "secular" organizations still won't be allowed any privacy.
Wednesday, December 7, 2016, the Alabama Supreme Court has sent an order to the Judicial Inquiry Commission (JIC) giving them fourteen days to show cause as to why the Motion to Intervene and Unseal filed by The Alabama Political Reporter should not be granted. The JIC sealed all the file on their case against Alabama Chief Justice Roy S. Moore (R). Normally cases are sealed to protect the privacy of the accused; but Chief Justice Moore has consistently stated that he wanted the case unsealed and made public.
Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore has appealed his suspension from office to a special AL Supreme Court appointed to hear that appeal. Liberty Counsel filed an appeal brief on Moore's behalf on Tuesday night. In September, the Alabama Court of the Judiciary suspended Moore without pay for the remainder of his term, finding that he violated judicial ethics.
A three-person panel of commissioners from the Illinois Human Rights Commission has decided not to review the decision to punish Christian bed and breakfast owner Jim Walder. Last spring, Judge Michael Robinson fined Walder more than $80,000 for refusing to rent out his facilities for a same-sex ceremony.
As Christian artists, Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski had a simple goal for their studio: to recreate the beauty God placed all around us and to share that beauty with others. And this goal made it natural for Joanna and Breanna to focus on artwork for weddings, one of the most beautiful days in someone’s life. But this wedding focus drove Joanna and Breanna straight into a problem. Phoenix law required Brush & Nib to create and speak according to Phoenix’s definition of marriage. So on May 2016, Alliance Defending Freedom filed a lawsuit on their behalf against Phoenix. The lawsuit alleged that Phoenix is violating the Arizona Constitution and the Arizona Free Exercise of Religion Act.
The NC General Assembly has ordered administrators of the NC State Health Plan to find ways to cut costs, but that didn’t stop the State Health Plan Board of Trustees from voting to cover sex reassignment procedures for state employees, teachers and their families. The policy, which could include children as young as nine years old, takes effect on January 1, 2017.
A Minnesota couple is suing state officials to allow their film production company to celebrate marriage as a man-woman union without being forced, against their biblical beliefs, to promote same-sex "marriage." Carl and Angel Larsen, of St. Cloud, Minnesota, say they run Telescope Media Group as a way to deploy their storytelling ability and production services to glorify God. "The Larsens desire to counteract the current cultural narrative undermining the historic, biblically orthodox definition of marriage by using their media production and filmmaking talents to tell stories of marriages between one man and one woman that magnify and honor God’s design and purpose for marriage,” the lawsuit filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota says.
North Carolina's Democrat Attorney General Roy Cooper has been an outspoken critic of House Bill 2, but his win Monday in the fiercely fought governor's race doesn't guarantee an end to the legislation. Even the most ardent opponents of House Bill 2 acknowledge Cooper has an uphill battle to reverse the law because he faces Republican super-majorities in the House and the Senate, and most of those lawmakers continue to back the law.
Barrronelle Stutzman, the florist who was fined for refusing to be involved in a same-sex "wedding," went before the Washington Supreme Court recently. Please watch the arguments if you can.
North Carolina remains one of the best places in the nation for its business climate, despite the hotly debated economic repercussions of the state’s controversial House Bill 2. Forbes magazine ranks the state as No. 2 in the nation, behind only Utah, with North Carolina’s low cost of doing business sufficient to offset any economic fallout of House Bill 2.
Oregon's Democratic Secretary of State went down to defeat, marking the first GOP victory in a statewide election in 14 years. More significantly, the loser of this race was known to many as the infamous bully who led the charge to fine a Christian-owned bakery $144,000 for declining to provide services to a same-sex "wedding."
Barronelle Stutzman had her day in court. Accused of violating the state’s law against discrimination for declining to decorate for a same-sex "wedding," yesteday Mrs. Stutzman went to the Washington State Supreme Court to argue that the First Amendment protects her right to decide the kind of messages she supports with her art. A crowd of approximately five hundred people showed up to support Mrs. Stutzman. The crowd filled the three-hundred person auditorium and two overflow rooms at Bellevue Community College, where the arguments were held.
Barronelle Stutzman, the floral artist and grandmother who is being sued by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson because of her religious beliefs, will be in court for oral arguments today. Please keep her in your prayers. Oral arguments begin at 9AM PST.
Republican President-elect Donald Trump says he’s “fine” with the Supreme Court's same-sex "marriage" ruling. “It’s law,” he said in an interview with CBS on Sunday. “It was settled in the Supreme Court. I mean, it’s done. These cases have gone to the Supreme Court. They’ve been settled. And I’m — I’m fine with that,” he added.
On Monday, Sanctity of Marriage Alabama filed an ethics complaint with the Judicial Inquiry Commission (JIC) against Alabama Supreme Court Justice Michael “Mike” Bolin of Jefferson County for blatantly disregarding the Canons of Judicial Ethics and failing to disqualify himself from proceedings in the case of Chief Justice Roy Moore.
In an apparent attempt to remove any personnel associated with Chief Justice Roy Moore, Acting Justice Lyn Stuart has terminated two additional employees of the Court. The Administrative Director of Courts and the Administrative Office of Courts’ legal counsel, who were hired by and previously worked for Chief Justice Moore during his first term, were fired without notice yesterday by Stuart, despite the pending appeal of the case.
Barronelle Stutzman, the floral artist and grandmother who is being sued by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson because of her religious beliefs, will be in court for oral arguments on November 15th. If you can, please make plans to attend the arguments and the rally.
In a campaign mailer funded by the N.C. Republican Party, GOP state Rep. Chris Malone is calling for the “full repeal of HB2." Malone, a Wake Forest Republican, voted for the bill in March, but has since changed sides in the debate. "HB2 is costing Wake County and North Carolina too much,” Malone writes in the mailer. “I call for a full repeal of HB2 now. I also support adding anti-discrimination language to state laws." Here's our take on things: We will never support a man for public office who stops protecting our women once it gets too expensive.
Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore has filed an appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court of his suspension without pay through the remainder of his term. Moore was suspended by the politically-motivated Alabama Court of the Judiciary (COJ), which allegedly found him guilty on six charges of violating canons of judicial ethics. "The COJ's disparity in punishment and disdain for the law and the rules is a travesty," attorney Mat Staver said. "Liberty Counsel and Chief Justice Moore will continue to fight this battle to restore the rule of law. The case has already been appealed to the Alabama Supreme Court."
The same court that led the attack on marriage in the United States ruled Tuesday that a woman whose former same-sex partner gave birth to two children through artificial insemination can seek the same parental rights as their biological mother.
Today, the Court of the Judiciary (COJ) issued a decision on the charges against Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, suspending him without pay for the remainder of his term, which runs through January 2019. When his term expires, he will be ineligible to run for election as judge again because of his age. So the suspension until the end of his term is a de facto removal from the bench.
Yesterday, Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore went to trial. The group of about 200 people that gathered inside the courtroom was made up almost entirely of the Chief’s supporters, consisting mostly of parents with their children. When the Chief Justice finally took his seat with the defense, the entire courtroom erupted into a standing ovation. A decision by the court is expected within 10 days.
Churches in the People’s Republic of Massachusetts have grave concerns about a new anti-discrimination law that could force congregations to accommodate the "transgender community" – under the threat of fines and jail time. The law, which goes into effect in October, does not specifically mention churches or other houses of worship. However, Attorney General Maura Healey wrote that places of public accommodation include: “auditoriums, convention centers, lecture halls, houses of worship, and other places of public gathering.”
On September 12, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) announced their intention to relocate all seven previously awarded championship events from North Carolina during the 2016-17 academic year. The decision was primarily due to North Carolina's HB2, which prevented the City of Charlotte from forcibly opening up all women's restrooms, showers, and locker rooms to men. "The line has now been drawn in the sand, first by Hollywood, now by the NBA and NCAA, either accept their ‘progressive sexual agenda’ or pay the price," NC Lt. Governor Dan Forest said in response to the NCAA's decision. "North Carolina will not play that game. We value our women too much to put a price tag on their heads."