Category Archives: law

“A Kind of Hydraulic Effect”

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Andrew Stuttaford

Writing in the New Yorker, Jeffrey Toobin wonders where the Hobby Lobby decision might lead: The great Oliver Wendell Holmes once observed that important Supreme Court decisions “exercise a kind of hydraulic effect.” Even if the authors of such decisions … Continue reading →

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Pope vs. Pot

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Andrew Stuttaford

From a week or so back, CNN reports: That’s the message Pope Francis seemed to be sending lawmakers Friday, saying the growing worldwide trend toward legalizing recreational drugs is a very, very bad idea. “Drug addiction is an evil, and … Continue reading →

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Fire, Brimstone, Free Speech and English Law

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Andrew Stuttaford

Here’s just another reminder that there’s not much in the way of free speech left in David Cameron’s Britain. The Daily Mail has the details: A baptist church was at the centre of a police probe after a sign which … Continue reading →

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A Bitter Pill?

Posted on January 4, 2014 by Andrew Stuttaford

This piece is from the Guardian and it comes with some of the paper’s usual irritating baggage, but it is still worth reading as an examination of the factual background to the Little Sisters HHS case: The ACA has a … Continue reading →

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Religious Freedom!

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

I’ll admit it. This made me laugh. The Guardian reports: In their zeal to tout their faith in the public square, conservatives in Oklahoma may have unwittingly opened the door to a wide range of religious groups, including Satanists who … Continue reading →

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21 Years

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

Witch trials. Still with us. The Guardian reports: Dan Keller has left an Austin jail, a week after his wife was released – and 21 years after the pair were given a 48-year sentence for sexual assault during America’s “Satanic … Continue reading →

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Something Rotten…

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

Nick Cohen, writing in The Spectator: Firoozeh Bazrafkan is frightened of nothing. Five foot tall, 31 years old, and so thin you think a puff of wind could blow her away, she still has the courage to be a truly … Continue reading →

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“Religious Freedom”

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

Reuters: A Pennsylvania mining company sued by the federal government on behalf of a worker who refused a biometric handscan because he believes in the Bible’s mark of the beast prophecy, said on Thursday that it supports religious freedom. The … Continue reading →

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Rick Perry’s “Merry Christmas”

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

MSN reports: AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday signed a law protecting Christmas and other holiday celebrations in Texas public schools from legal challenges — but also stressed that freedom of religion is not the same thing … Continue reading →

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Symbiosis

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

Vladimir Putin’s attempt to blend social conservatism and Russian Orthodoxy into the mix that is (nominally: the reality is rather grubbier) the ideology of his regime continues. The Guardian has the details. First, we have an unpleasant piece of anti-homosexual … Continue reading →

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