Culture
John Roberts Does Not Think California's Special Restrictions on Religious Services Discriminate Against Churches
As SCOTUS declines to issue an injunction, the chief justice says the state's COVID-19 control measures seem consistent with the First Amendment.
Wild Rock Doc Laurel Canyon Travels Back to L.A.'s Stellar '60s Scene
In the winding hills above Hollywood, musical history was made.
Supreme Court (by 5-4 Vote) Rejects Free Exercise Clause Objection to California Occupancy Cap for Churches
The cap (25% of capacity or at most 100 people) also generally applies to secular gatherings, but not to various commercial establishments.
The Vast of Night Is the First Must-Watch Movie of the Coronavirus Era
Amazon Prime Video's latest feature is a smartly made indie sci-fi film from an incredibly promising first-time director.
Do Pandemic-Inspired Bans on Religious Services Violate the First Amendment? Circuit Courts Are Split.
Supreme Court precedent suggests COVID-19 restrictions that discriminate against churches are presumptively unconstitutional.
Churches Get Go-Ahead in California's Latest Reopening Plans
They’re still not being treated the same as secular places of gathering, so a legal challenge continues.
My Argument for Preserving Employment Division v. Smith
I'd love to hear your thoughts about this draft brief.
No, Segregationists Weren't the Driving Force Behind School Choice
The anti-voucher polemic is augmented by historical half-truths and selective omissions of countervailing evidence.
Ninth Circuit Rejects Religious Freedom Challenge to California Closure, One Judge Dissents
A short majority opinion, and a long dissent.
Minnesota Churches Aren't Asking the Governor for Permission To Reopen
If the Mall of America can reopen on June 1, why can’t the Cathedral of St. Paul?
Justice Department Warns California Not To Leave Churches Behind in Its Reopening Plans
Allowing schools and malls to reopen, but not places of worship, would raise civil rights issues
The United Nations Wants You To Stop Saying Gendered Words
"Humankind" instead of "mankind," "salesperson" instead of "salesman," and so on
NASCAR and Golf Return to TV, Paving Way for Pandemic-Friendly Sports
Races reopened without fans this weekend, to mostly good reviews. Sports and entertainment are shifting to serve social-distancing needs.
Court Suggests That Lockdown Exemptions for Religious Institutions Violate the Establishment Clause,
at least when they specifically target religious institutions, and not similar secular entities.
The WHO Is Right To Reject Calls To Ban So-Called 'Wet Markets'
Wet markets should be made safer, not driven underground.
Josh Trank's Capone Is a Portrait of a Director in Meltdown
Starring Tom Hardy as the aging crime kingpin, the movie is an intriguing failure.
Remy: Surfin' USA (Beach Boys Lockdown Parody)
Remy hangs ten but could be out in five with good behavior.
Restaurants Are Facing a COVID-19 Crisis. Price Controls on Food Delivery Services Won't Help.
Cities are imposing "emergency" regulations capping the fees that delivery services like Uber Eats may charge. That's a mistake.
Upload Builds an Amusing, Ethically Fraught World Around Virtual Heaven
Transcending consciousness is presented as a consumer good in a sharp new Amazon Prime series.
Stanford Prof. Michael McConnell on "Who Is a 'Minister'?"
Can the Supreme Court draw the line?
No, Jared Kushner Did Not Suggest That Trump Might Unilaterally Delay the Presidential Election
There is a difference between reporting facts that make the president uncomfortable and manufacturing facts to fit a preconceived view of him.
Little Richard, the King and Queen of Rock 'n' Roll
Little Richard helped make the United States a little more black, a little more queer, and a little more free.
Does Questioning Official COVID-19 Statistics Make This Doctor a 'Denialist'?
If you think much about the epidemic remains uncertain, The New York Times warns, you might be part of "the virus 'truther' movement."
To Stanch COVID-19 Meat Crisis, Let Small Farmers Sell Meat to Local Grocers
The ability of Americans to buy meat in grocery stores is at risk due to serious supply-chain issues caused by COVID-19.
Sinking in the Swamp
An extended profile of the numerous, eclectic grifters surrounding President Donald Trump
Suffrage
From our modern vantage point, it's easy to scorn some decisions that suffrage movement leaders made. Suffrage adds context.
Federal Red Tape Is Keeping Local Meat Processors From Helping Fix Our Supply Problem
A renewed push to pass the PRIME Act picks up steam as COVID-19 leaves us all asking “Where’s the beef?”
Prohibiting Religious Services Makes the First Amendment a Coronavirus Victim
While governments are shutting down religious services and fining pastors who defy those orders.
Islamic Prenuptial Agreements (Mahrs) Are Enforceable by American Courts, Like Other Prenups
So a Maryland appellate court held last month, I think quite correctly (and consistently with the broad trend in other states):
It's 'Access' to Birth Control Versus Employer Beliefs Again at the Supreme Court
The Obamacare contraception mandate continues to cause legal trouble.
Sixth Circuit Temporarily Blocks Kentucky Governor's Limit on Drive-In Church Services
The court concludes that it likely violates the Kentucky Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Free Exercise Clause, chiefly because the Governor's order has many exceptions for various allowed services.
What Is Government's Proper Role in Reopening the Food Economy?
When it comes to the food economy, government should remember that workers and consumers call the shots.
A Woman Set Up a Little Free Pantry Without a Permit. The County Threatened Criminal Charges.
A civil rights lawsuit alleges that the government violated Kathy Hay's constitutional rights when it shuttered her free pantry.
Texas Is Allowing Restaurants To Reopen Starting Today. Many Restaurant Owners Fear It Won't Go Well.
"You can't exactly eat with a mask on, and I have a small space where people would be in close proximity to each other."
Ugly Delicious
Is tahini salsa verde an insidious form of cultural appropriation or two immigrants from Oaxaca riffing on food traditions they love?
The Consequential Frontier
The "privatization" of space has already expanded the possibilities of the cosmos for all mankind far beyond what six decades of federal bureaucracy could.
San Francisco's Economically Ignorant COVID-19 Response
If politicians really want to help citizens, they should brush up on the laws of supply and demand.
