Churches See More Success In Second Amendment Cases
Since New York’s Concealed Carry Improvement Act (CCIA) was passed in July 2022, multiple federal lawsuits have been filed by plaintiffs who claim that the law violates the right to bear arms guaranteed by the Second Amendment. The CCIA is dangerous for churches because it contains language prohibiting anyone other than law enforcement officers and…
Churches File Suit Challenging State Gun Law
ALBANY, NY—Today, New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms and 25 churches, from 20 different counties, filed a federal lawsuit claiming that a New York gun control law passed in July 2022 violates the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. Rev. Jason J. McGuire, Executive Director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, made the following remarks:…
New York Ranks Last In Religious Liberty
When compared against other states, where do you think the state of New York ranks in terms of respect for religious freedom? If you guessed that New York ranks dead last, you’d be right. The Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy has created a website called ReligiousLibertyInTheStates.com. That website ranks each of the 50 states…
Schumer Delays ‘Respect For Marriage’ Vote
On September 15, 2022, The New York Times and Politico.com reported that U.S. Senate leadership had put off its plans to vote on the so-called “Respect for Marriage Act” (RMA) (H.R.8404-Nadler). If passed, the RMA would keep same-sex “marriage” legal even if the Supreme Court were to overturn its 2015 decision that found same-sex “marriage”…
Charles Finney School Draws Criticism For Biblical Stance
A Christian school in the Finger Lakes region has attracted unfavorable media attention for adhering to Biblical moral principles regarding sexuality. According to 13WHAM.com, the Charles Finney School in Penfield, New York has changed its student handbook to state that students can be expelled from the school if they adopt LGBT identities or promote homosexuality…
State Ed Approves Process for Overseeing Private Schools
On September 13, 2022, the New York State Board of Regents approved a new set of regulations affecting nonpublic schools. The new regulations lay out a process by which the state will determine whether nonpublic schools are providing an education that—as required by law—is “substantially equivalent” to the education provided by public schools in their…
District Court Says Faith-Based Provider Can Keep Serving Families
New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms (NYCF) is pleased to report that New Hope Family Services has won a key victory in its years-long legal battle to remain open and to operate in accordance with Christian principles. Albany Update has commented on New Hope’s situation many times over the past several years. Readers may recall that…
Sotomayor Issues Emergency Stay In Yeshiva’s Religious Liberty Suit
In June, Albany Update noted that Yeshiva University in New York City had lost the first round of a court battle to preserve its Jewish identity in the face of LGBT student demands. Now, the University is seeking to take this battle all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States. On August…
Schumer To Bring [Dis]Respect For Marriage To Senate
A vote on same-sex “marriage” legislation could occur in the U.S. Senate as soon as September 2022. As Albany Update noted earlier this year, the so-called Respect for Marriage Act (RMA) (Bill S.4556-Feinstein/H.R.8404-Nadler) passed the U.S. House of Representatives with a sizable bipartisan majority. The RMA would keep same-sex “marriage” legal nationwide even if the…
House Passes Contraception Bill Lacking Religious Liberty Protections
On July 21, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the so-called Right to Contraception Act (H.R. 8373-Manning) by a vote of 228-195. Like the names of many other liberal bills, the name of this bill is misleading. According to Washington Watch, the Right to Contraception Act “could stop states from banning chemical abortions, prevent…
Hochul’s New Gun Law Has Impact On Houses of Worship
On July 1, 2022, the state of New York enacted a new gun control law. The July 2022 Gun Control Law was passed in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn. v. Bruen, which held that New York’s “concealed carry” law violated the Second Amendment. Unfortunately,…
SCOTUS Rejects Vaccine Mandate Case
Over the past few weeks, the Supreme Court of the United States has issued praiseworthy decisions affecting crucial matters like abortion and religious freedom. In Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Court saved untold numbers of innocent lives by overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and ruling that there is no constitutional right…
Coach Kennedy Wins Supreme Court Case
On June 27, 2022, following a seven-year legal battle, Christian football coach Joe Kennedy won his public prayer case before the Supreme Court of the United States. Coach Kennedy was an assistant coach at Bremerton High School in Bremerton, Washington. After football games, Coach Kennedy had a habit of praying at the 50-yard line on…
SCOTUS Upholds Equal Treatment of Christian Schools
On June 21, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States released its decision in Carson v. Makin. The decision is consistent with other pro-religious liberty Supreme Court decisions released during the past several years. Carson v. Makin arose from a dispute occurring in the state of Maine. In many rural areas of Maine, school…
Yeshiva University Stands Strong For Religious Freedom
On June 16, 2022, The New York Times reported that a trial court had ruled against Yeshiva University in a case involving a conflict between LGBT activism and religious liberty. According to The Times, a group of students sued the University in 2021 to challenge its unwillingness to allow an LGBT student group to form…
State Receives Public Comment Regarding Private School Regs
In September 2019, New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms (NYCF) submitted a public comment on a proposed rule relating to instruction in nonpublic schools. The proposed rule would have required school districts to evaluate the instruction provided by nonpublic schools (including Christian schools) to see whether that instruction complied with state law. (New York law requires…