|
|
|
High court wrestles with prayer in government
Court Issues |
2013/11/08 22:16
|
The Supreme Court wrestled Wednesday with the appropriate role for religion in government in a case involving mainly Christian prayers at the start of a New York town's council meetings.
The justices began their day with the marshal's customary plea that "God save the United States and this honorable court." They then plunged into a lively give-and-take that highlighted the sensitive nature of offering religious invocations in public proceedings that don't appeal to everyone and governments' efforts to police the practice.
The court is weighing a federal appeals court ruling that said the Rochester suburb of Greece, N.Y., violated the Constitution because nearly every prayer in an 11-year span was overtly Christian.
The tenor of the argument indicated the justices would not agree with the appellate ruling. But it was not clear what decision they might come to instead.
Justice Elena Kagan summed up the difficult task before the court when she noted that "every time the court gets involved in things like this, it seems to make the problem worse rather than better."
The justices tried out several approaches to the issue, including one suggested by the two Greece residents who sued over the prayers to eliminate explicit references to any religion. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
German Court Begins Hearing Afghan Airstrike Case
Court Issues |
2013/11/02 20:06
|
A court in Germany has begun hearing a civil case brought by relatives of some of the 91 Afghans killed in a NATO airstrike four years ago.
Bonn regional court spokesman Philipp Prietze said Wednesday that the court reviewed video recorded by two U.S. fighter jets involved in the airstrike in the Afghan province of Kunduz on Sept. 4, 2009.
The strike was ordered by a German colonel fearful that insurgents would use two stolen fuel tankers to attack his troops.
Germany paid $5,000 each to victims' families, but some are seeking additional compensation. Most of the dead were civilians.
Separately, Germany said it would offer refuge to 182 Afghan translators and drivers who could face persecution after Western troops leave Afghanistan because they worked for the German military. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Court rejects changes to state workers' pensions
Court Issues |
2013/08/19 20:51
|
The Michigan appeals court has struck down a 2011 law that required state workers choosing to stay in a pension plan to contribute 4 percent of their compensation toward the system.
In a 3-0 ruling released Wednesday, judges said that change and others are unconstitutional because only the state Civil Service Commission can change state employees' compensation — not lawmakers.
The decision affirms an Ingham County judge's ruling from 2012.
State workers hired before April 1997 qualify for a defined benefit pension plan. Those hired since then are in a 401(k)-style plan.
In 2011, Republican Gov. Rick Snyder and GOP lawmakers changed the law to make pension-eligible employees contribute 4 percent or switch to the 401(k) system.
State employee unions representing roughly 34,000 employees sued. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Court challenge fails to stop Calif. gay marriages
Court Issues |
2013/08/15 16:30
|
The California Supreme Court refused Wednesday to halt gay marriages in the state, leaving opponents of same-sex weddings few if any legal options to stop the unions.
The brief, unanimous ruling tossed out a legal challenge by ban supporters without addressing their legal arguments in support of Proposition 8, a ballot measure passed by voter in 2008 that banned gay marriage.
Austin R. Nimocks, an attorney for Alliance Defending Freedom, a group that wants to end gay marriage, said the ruling does not end the debate in California. He called on lawmakers to ban gay marriage but declined to say whether a legal challenge will be filed.
"Though the current California officials are unwilling to enforce the state constitution, we remain hopeful that one day Californians will elect officials who will" he said.
Supporters of gay marriage were girding for a continued fight.
"By now, I suppose we know better than to predict that Prop 8 proponents will actually give up their fight," San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said. "But it's certainly fair to say that their remaining legal options are increasingly absurd."
The state high court ruling came about two months after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider the issue, leaving in place a lower-court ruling that struck down the ballot measure as unconstitutional. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Lawyer & Law Firm Websites |
|
|
Legal News RSS Feed
