Law and Religion Headlines
Friday, 19 June 2026
Judgment of the Court (Italian Defense Ministry and covid vaccine)
(Court of Justice of the European Union)
Wednesday, 10 June 2026
College football coach asks court to flag Washington State for religious targeting
(Becket)
Friday, 29 May 2026
Becket urges appeals court to protect St. Louis teachers punished for their faith
(Becket)
Monday, 18 May 2026
EEOC issues federal sector appellate decision finding unlawful discrimination in agency’s denial of religious accommodation to COVID-19 vaccine mandate
(U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)
Wednesday, 6 May 2026
Opinion: Williams, et al. v. Legacy Health, et al. (COVID-19 vaccination accomodation)
(Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals)
Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Fifth Circuit allows religious class in United vaccine case
(George Weycamp, Bloomberg Law)
Monday, 2 March 2026
Rex Healthcare to pay $150,000 in EEOC COVID-19 vaccine religious accommodation suit
(U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)
Wednesday, 26 November 2025
A High Court religious liberty case resonates five years later
(Akiva Shapiro, Bloomberg Law)
Wednesday, 12 November 2025
DiReSoM Paper “Religious Minorities and Health Emergencies: Global Approaches and Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic” (Italian)
(DiReSoM (Law and Religion in Multicultural Societies))
Monday, 27 October 2025
New ruling: Religious accommodation duty met in COVID dispute
(Tom D'Agostino, HR Morning)
Wednesday, 1 October 2025
Massachusetts appellate court reverses dismissal of vaccine exemption claim
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Kansas Supreme Court: Expanded religious exemption from covid vaccine mandate is not in conflict with Title VII
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Andrew Cuomo apologizes to Orthodox Jews for past handling of COVID-19 restrictions
(Joseph Strauss, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Friday, 19 September 2025
A missed chance to defend core freedoms: ECHR rejects worship ban case
(Ján Figeľ, The European Conservative)
Monday, 8 September 2025
Freedom of worship, COVID-19 and actio popularis: Figel’ v Slovakia
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Friday, 5 September 2025
European Court dismisses challenge to Slovakia’s COVID worship bans
(ADF International)
3M beats ex-worker's religious bias claims over Covid-19 vaccine
(Mallory Culhane, Bloomberg Law)
Wednesday, 3 September 2025
9th Circuit upholds fire department's denial of religious exemptions from covid vaccine mandate
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Monday, 18 August 2025
Church membership may be declining, but many churchgoers are double-dosing
(Yonat Shimron and Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service)
Friday, 15 August 2025
Mercyhealth to pay over $1 million to settle EEOC COVID-19 vaccine mandate-related religious discrimination charges
(U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)
Wednesday, 6 August 2025
Why was religious exemption not allowed for worker refusing to comply with vaccination policy?
(Jeffrey R. Smith, Canadian HR Reporter)
Wednesday, 23 July 2025
Religious NYC educators, denied exemption from vaccine mandate, appeal to Supreme Court
(Alliance Defending Freedom)
Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Employees' suit against school board for denying religious exemption from covid vaccine moves ahead
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Monday, 12 May 2025
Religious minorities during the COVID-19 health crisis
(DiReSoM (Law and Religion in Multicultural Societies))
Friday, 18 April 2025
Appellate court upholds $1.2m fine against church for violating covid public health orders
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Monday, 14 April 2025
3rd Circuit rejects Title VII claim by ER doctor who was denied religious exemption from Covid vaccine mandate
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Wednesday, 26 March 2025
Religiosity and beliefs in medical conspiracy theories in 37 European countries during the COVID-19 pandemic
(Piotr Jabkowski, Jan Domaradzki & Mariusz Baranowski, Nature)
Monday, 17 March 2025
Can it be five years? Reflecting on the living legacies of the COVID-19 pandemic
(Katherine Marshall, Wilma Z. Mui, Olivia Wilkinson, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Wednesday, 19 February 2025
Sri Lankan Muslims seek compensation for pandemic burial ground
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Monday, 17 February 2025
Missouri House passes anti-lockdown bill to stop government closing houses of worship
(Evy Lewis, KBIA)
Wednesday, 29 January 2025
DC Circuit revives contempt proceedings in RFRA suit against fire department
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Friday, 24 January 2025
Kansas court says statute sets low threshold for religious exemption from covid vaccine mandate
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Wednesday, 22 January 2025
1st Circuit accepts employer's undue hardship defense for denying religious exemption from covid vaccination
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Wednesday, 8 January 2025
4th Circuit: Covid vaccine religious accommodation suit should not have been dismissed
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Monday, 30 December 2024
EEOC sues Rex Healthcare, Inc. for religious discrimination
(U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)
Wednesday, 27 November 2024
AstraZeneca loses Covid-shot religious job accommodation lawsuit
(Patrick Dorrian, Bloomberg Law)
Friday, 22 November 2024
Court examines sincerity and religiosity of vaccine objections
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Wednesday, 13 November 2024
IT specialist awarded $12.69M for denied religious exemption from vaccine mandate
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Monday, 4 November 2024
Hospital employee who refused covid nasal swab testing is entitled to unemployment benefits
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Wednesday, 16 October 2024
6th Circuit finds that employee's objections to Covid testing were not religious
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Monday, 14 October 2024
A Sri Lankan paradox: The COVID-19 pandemic and political change
(Katherine Marshall and Vinya Ariyaratne, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Friday, 4 October 2024
Pasquinelli and others v San Marino – The momentous competing interests of the community as a whole against healthcare workers refusing the COVID-19 vaccine
(Petra Järvinen and Ville Vikman, Strasbourg Observers)
Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Orthodox churches boomed during pandemic, study finds, but calls growth ‘mixed bag’
(Meagan Saliashvili, Religion News Service)
Friday, 6 September 2024
Sri Lanka approves burial and cremation rights bill
(Devdiscourse)
Friday, 23 August 2024
Claim that deprioritizing religious vaccine exemption requests violates Title VII moves ahead
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Wednesday, 14 August 2024
Appeals court rules against Dave Ramsey’s company in COVID-era religious discrimination case
(Bob Smietana, Religion News Service)
Friday, 2 August 2024
Delaware Supreme Court dismisses suits challenging prior covid restrictions on houses of worship
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Wednesday, 31 July 2024
7th Circuit gives broad interpretation of "religious" claims under Title VII
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
3rd Circuit: Jury issues remain in suit over religious exemption from covid vaccine mandate
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Wednesday, 24 July 2024
Sri Lanka’s cremation apology fails to enthuse minorities
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Navy SEALs, personnel denied religious accommodation from COVID vaccine mandate reach settlement with Navy
(First Liberty)
Monday, 8 July 2024
Religious San Francisco BART workers settle Covid vaccine case
(Isaiah Poritz, Bloomberg Law)
Friday, 21 June 2024
9th Circuit reverses dismissal of suit challenging refusal to grant religious exemptions to vaccine mandate
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Monday, 27 May 2024
8th Circuit reverses dismissal of suit for failure to accommodate religious objections to vaccine mandate
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Religious exemption claim brought by employees who objected to covid vaccination and testing can go forward
(Eugene Volokh, The Volokh Conspiracy)
Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Judge: Religious day cares in California must follow state laws, even while indignant
(Sam Ribakoff, Courthouse News Service)
Friday, 10 May 2024
Federal court rules University of Colorado vaccine policies “motivated by religious animus”
(Thomas More Society)
Friday, 26 April 2024
Qualified immunity granted in denial of religious exemption from vaccine mandate
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Wednesday, 17 April 2024
Denial of religious exemption from vaccine mandate upheld
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Wednesday, 27 March 2024
Denial of religious exemption from vaccine mandate did not violate Title VII or Constitution
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Catholic group calls on UK’s COVID-19 inquiry to look at impact on faith groups
(Charles Collins, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Wednesday, 20 March 2024
Australia: Should an employer's religious views influence a dismissal decision?
(Paulinet Tamaray, HCAMag)
Law firm beats COVID vax refuser's religious bias, ADA suit
(Emmy Freedman, Law360)
Unvaccinated employee awarded unemployment benefits after denial of religious exemption
(New England Biz Law)
Wednesday, 21 February 2024
Title VII challenge to denial of vaccine exemption survives motion to dismiss
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Friday, 9 February 2024
Expressed hostility to religious belief of vaccine exemption applicant did not violate 1st Amendment
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Wednesday, 31 January 2024
Court rules on class action certification of claims by religious objectors to covid vaccine
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Friday, 19 January 2024
Denial of vaccine mandate exemption for nurse is upheld
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Wednesday, 17 January 2024
School did not violate Title VII in denying religious exemption to covid rules
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Friday, 12 January 2024
Canada: Charges against Canadians who defended religious freedom stayed
(Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms)
Friday, 5 January 2024
Shriners Hopsital beats worker Covid vaccine religious bias case
(Jennifer Bennett, Bloomberg Law)
City could not require pastor's certificate as condition of vaccine exemption
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Friday, 1 December 2023
British Appeals Court upholds preacher's fraud conviction for selling COVID preventative
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Employee fired for refusing COVID-19 vaccination sues Colorado company
(Logan Smith, CBS Colorado)
Friday, 24 November 2023
Appeals court upholds denial of unemployment benefits to health care worker who was denied religious exemption from vaccine mandate
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Wednesday, 1 November 2023
Justices skip religious Maine health workers' Covid vaccine suit
(Patrick Dorrian, Bloomberg Law)
Friday, 20 October 2023
Employees' objections to covid vaccine were not religious
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Monday, 9 October 2023
China: A family shattered for 24 years – the story of Falun Gong activist Fang Bin
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
1st Circuit remands covid vaccine religious exemption case
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Wednesday, 27 September 2023
Employees failed to show sincere religious beliefs for vaccine exemptions
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Friday, 22 September 2023
New decisions on covid vaccine religious objection claims
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Wednesday, 20 September 2023
Canada: Manitoba churches appealing unjustified church closures to the Supreme Court of Canada
(Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms)
Religious exemption from COVID-19 vaccine mandate would cause undue hardship
(Robert S. Teachout, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM))
Friday, 8 September 2023
Religion and private law
(Neil Foster, Law and Religion Australia)
Wednesday, 6 September 2023
Canada: 'I am guilty': Plea by controversial pastor resolves all COVID-related charges
(Heather Rivers, The London Free Press)
Friday, 1 September 2023
Court ok's denial of unemployment benefits for religious objector to covid vaccine mandate
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Wednesday, 30 August 2023
Title VII claim for denying religious exemption from vaccine mandate moves ahead
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Canada: Charges withdrawn against Fairview Baptist Church
(Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms)
Friday, 18 August 2023
European Court of Human Rights to settle Covid worship question
(Lois McLatchie Miller, Scottish Legal News)
Friday, 11 August 2023
Canada's top court refuses appeal from B.C. churches protesting COVID-19 restrictions
(CBC News)
Monday, 7 August 2023
Houses of worship would be exempt from emergency orders under proposed constitutional amendment [Wisconsin]
(Anya van Wagtendonk, Wisconsin Public Radio)
Wednesday, 2 August 2023
ECtHR challenge to COVID restrictions on public worship
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Monday, 31 July 2023
Arguments submitted at Europe’s top human rights court on COVID worship ban
(ADF International)
Friday, 28 July 2023
EEOC Report: COVID-19 vaccine-related employment disputes fuel surge of religious discrimination claims
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
Some claimed exemptions from vaccine mandate were not religious in nature
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Wednesday, 26 July 2023
In vaccine debate, lawmakers target religious exemption
(Alison Kuznitz, NBC 10 Boston)
Friday, 21 July 2023
New book: An Epidemic among My People: Religion, Politics, and COVID-19 in the United States
(Edited by Paul A. Djupe and Amanda Friesen, Temple University Press)
Wednesday, 19 July 2023
Denial of teacher's religious exemption from covid vaccine mandate is upheld
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Friday, 14 July 2023
Korea: Seoul city loses suit against church over COVID-19 spread
(Hwang Jang-jin, Yonhap News Agency)
Mississippi, under judge’s order, starts allowing religious exemptions for childhood vaccinations
(Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press)
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