Current Legal Battles

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Spiritualist Public Schools Back in Court of Appeals This Week

City: 
San Francisco, CA
Date: 
05/16/2012

The constitutionality of taxpayer-funded charter schools based on an obscure belief system called Anthroposophy will be heard at the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals this Thursday, May 17.

The long-running suit against Sacramento City Unified School District was filed by People for Legal and Nonsectarian Schools (PLANS) in the late 1990’s. The case has made three previous trips to the Ninth Circuit, each of which resulted in a favorable ruling for PLANS on procedural issues. This time, the court is expected to take up some of the core First Amendment issues in the case.

“Rainbow Day” Case Lands in Court of Appeal This Week

City: 
San Jose, CA
Date: 
05/08/2012

A mother’s plea for broader anti-bullying efforts will be heard by the California Court of Appeal this Thursday, May 10.

The case arose after the superintendent and school board president of the San Jose Unified School District blocked the mom’s request that the board vote on diversifying a pro-gay “Rainbow Day” held at her child’s middle school. The parent felt that the focus was not inclusive and ignored the most common roots of bullying.

PJI to Senators: Proposed Counseling Ban is Unconstitutional

City: 
Sacramento, CA
Date: 
05/04/2012

Attorneys with the Pacific Justice Institute are warning a California Senate committee against banning some types of counseling.

PJI sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee this week outlining its opposition to SB 1172. Among other things, the bill would prohibit psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, therapists and others from giving any advice to minors that could be considered an effort to “change” their sexual orientation. The ban would apply even if a minor or their parents sought out counseling for that very reason.

Bill Seeks to Limit Counseling Against Gay Attraction; Are Parents Next Target?

City: 
Sacramento, CA
Date: 
04/25/2012

An unusual assortment of groups are beginning to express alarm over a bill moving through the California legislature that has sweeping implications for both free speech and family rights.

Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, is not mincing words. “I can honestly say this is one of the most outrageous, speech-chilling bills we have ever seen in California—and that’s saying a lot,” he said.

Colson’s Legacy Lives on in California

City: 
Sacramento, CA
Date: 
04/24/2012

– Over the weekend America lost an evangelical giant, whose prisoner-to-preacher story continues to inspire millions.

When Charles W. Colson went to prison in the 1970’s, he embodied the corruption and ruthlessness Americans had come to loathe about the Watergate scandal. He emerged from prison a changed man, and dedicated the rest of his life to sharing his newfound faith and hope with those still behind bars.

Are Students Losing Interest in the Day of Silence?

City: 
Sacramento, CA
Date: 
04/20/2012

As the annual pro-gay “Day of Silence” descends on schools across the country this Friday, some pro-family advocates are questioning whether it may be losing steam and prompting LGBT activists to push for more coerced attention to their cause.

New Bill Could Mandate Doctor Visits for Parents Who Oppose Vaccines

City: 
Sacramento, CA
Date: 
04/11/2012

A recently introduced bill in the California Assembly is raising new concerns about government-imposed healthcare mandates, this time on the state level.

In Court, Obama Admin. For—and Against—Judicial Activism

City: 
Boston, MA
Date: 
04/04/2012

Lawyers for the federal government today sought the same objective their boss, President Obama, blasted earlier in the week—judicial invalidation of a federal law.

In a press conference Monday, Pres. Obama said he did not think the Supreme Court would take the “unprecedented, extraordinary step of overturning a law that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress.” The President further said that striking down the Affordable Care Act would be the type of “judicial activism” decried by conservatives.

Historic Supreme Court Arguments Just Days Away

City: 
Washington, D.C.
Date: 
03/22/2012

Legal experts are already gearing up for next week’s epic arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court over the constitutionality of the federal health care makeover.

It’s been decades since the Court has allotted anything close to the six hours over three days that will be devoted next week to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). And the 136 amicus briefs filed with the Court—each costing thousands of dollars to prepare and file—easily shatters the previous record.

Academic Freedom Suit OK’d by Federal Court

City: 
Fresno, CA
Date: 
03/14/2012

A professor’s free speech lawsuit against officials at Fresno City College was given the go-ahead this week by a federal judge. The court’s ruling signals a potential showdown in the coming months over the scope of academic freedom held by college and university instructors.