Free Republic

Can the Supreme Court duck the central issue in the Hobby Lobby case? By Phil Lawler - March 28, 2014 6:18 PM In the the Hobby Lobby case, a key question facing the Supreme Court is whether a corporate enterprise qualifies for the same religious-freedom protections as an individual. At first glance that seems a very simple question. It is a long-established principle of Anglo-American law, set forth clearly in Blackstone’s Commentaries even before the American Revolution, that for legal purposes, a corporation is a person. For purposes of affirmative-action programs, the US government recognizes certain corporations as “minority” contractors,...

Is All Taxation Equal Under the Law Does the US Tax Code treats healthcare insurance premiums differently between employer paid premiums and individual paid premiums? Manufactures began offering free healthcare insurance as a way to attract employees and avoid violating World War Two Wage and Price Controls. Free always guarantees a demand. Later, perhaps 1948, the courts declared that employer paid healthcare insurance premiums were not taxable income.

“I’ve had two years to think about this,” Judge Cynthia Brim said Friday downtown before the seven-member Illinois Courts Commission. “I have a different understanding and perspective of my condition.” The commission is considering a complaint filed by the state’s Judicial Inquiry Board. A board attorney argued Friday that Brim remains “mentally unable to perform her duties.” But Brim — who has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type and has been hospitalized multiple times for mental illness since 1993 — said she now knows she must carefully monitor her condition and keep taking medication regularly. “You’re not expecting to...

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Tuesday from opposing legal counsel on the HHS contraception mandate cases. The media consensus appears to be that the justices were hard on the mandate and appear likely to issue a narrow ruling exempting “closely-held” corporations, which both of the plaintiffs are, while leaving open the question of whether or not publicly-traded corporations have First Amendment rights. The distinction is relevant since closely-held corporations are directly operated by their owners and are fairly limited in the number of shareholders they typically have, while public corporations have hundreds or thousands of shareholders. The...

Honolulu police officers have urged lawmakers to keep an exemption in state law that allows undercover officers to have sex with prostitutes during investigations, touching off a heated debate. Authorities say they need the legal protection to catch lawbreakers in the act. Critics, including human trafficking experts and other police, say it's unnecessary and can further victimize sex workers, many of whom have been forced into the trade.

A few weeks back, I was able to give a message at my church on Wed. night. The Spirit had been working on me for weeks and I couldn't even sleep thinking God had given me a warning about our country. The image was so vivid, It actually frightened me about a man walking a tightrope, shaking his fist at God. I decided to write this down from recollection of my notes. I was sick of being told I couldn't judge or I would be judged, and politics have no place in church. I think many preachers keep quiet to...

"I need money". Greedy illegal alien Roy Ortiz is suing those who saved his life.- by Brian Hayes | Top Right NewsLast month we profiled an illegal alien felon who made nearly $200,000 by mass-filing frivolous lawsuits against L.A. restaurants. But that was just a creep trying to game the system, and the system (shamefully) letting him. This is truly disgusting. An illegal alien in Colorado is suing several first responders who took part in rescuing him last September, when he became trapped in his car during a flash flood. You heard that right. They saved Roy Ortiz' life --...

President Obama is threatening to veto a law that would allowCongress to sue him in federal courts for arbitrarily changing or refusing to enforce federal laws because it “violates the separation of powers” by encroaching on his presidential authority.“The power the bill purports to assign to Congress to sue the President over whether he has properly discharged his constitutional obligation to take care that the laws be faithfully executed exceeds constitutional limitations,” the White House Office of Management and Budget said Wednesday in a statement of administration policy. “Congress may not assign such power to itself, nor may it assign...

A lawyers group has called on Malaysian Airlines to introduce Muslim rules on all flights amidst the current crisis the airline is facing over the mysterious disappearance of flight MH370. The Muslim Lawyers Association of Malaysia has urged for Muslim prayer standards to be put into place before flights, as well as for all female flight attendants to be dressed according to Islamic law.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has issued a press release detailing what it says are “multiple errors” in a report by Orlando ABC affiliate WFTV. Mario Boone was the reporter on a story the FDLE called “Rape DNA kit backlogs continue to drown FDLE crime lab.” The story aired on the station’s 6:00 pm. news Wednesday night. In its statement, the FDLE said WFTV’s report suggests the agency is ill equipped to handle a growing number of rape cases and may cause rape victims to be reluctant to report the crime because they don’t think the agency can process...

<p>State lawmakers have passed a new food safety law that they wish they hadn't.</p> <p>Anyone working in a California restaurant or bar who prepares ready-to-eat food - from bagels to sushi to fruit salad to cocktails - has to wear gloves or use deli tissue, spatulas or tongs. But the new rule, which went into effect Jan. 1, has had so much blowback that lawmakers are already trying to repeal it.</p>

Alabama lawmakers Tuesday passed a bill that would ban abortions the instant a fetal heartbeat is detected — a measure that would effectively eliminate most abortions. The House voted 73-29 for the measure, one of four anti-abortion bills it sent to the Senate. The bill includes no exception for women who become pregnant through rape and incest. Fetal heartbeats can be detected as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, meaning that if the Senate passes the measure and Republican Gov. Robert Bentley signs it, Alabama would join North Dakota in imposing the strictest abortion laws in the country. The...

Some have claimed that a bill recently passed by the Arizona legislature would give businesses broad license to not serve someone for being gay. This claim, though, may be a misreading, according a CP legislative analysis. While the bill is an attempt to broaden who is covered under its religious freedom protections, in all cases it actually narrows when a religious belief could be used to refuse service. Here are six important points to understand about the just-passed bill: 1. If Gov. Jan Brewer (R) signs it, the bill, S.B. 1062, would make some modifications to a 1999 Arizona law...

Secretary of State John Kerry demanded Monday that Uganda “repeal” its new anti-gay law and warned that the State Department has begun a “review” of U.S. assistance to the impoverished East African nation. “This is a tragic day for Uganda and for all who care about the cause of human rights,” Kerry said in a statement. “Ultimately, the only answer is repeal of this law.” President Yoweri Museveni signed into law on Monday legislation enacting tough prison sentences for homosexual acts, which were already illegal in Uganda. Kerry threatened to cut the more than $400 million the country receives in...

Mountain Man Arrested for Trying to Feed Himself, owns judge. In a packed courtroom, 52-year-old Ernie Tertelgte told the judge “I am a living man protected by natural law and I have the right to forage for food when I am hungry… You are trying to create a fictitious, fraudulent action.” Charged with fishing without a license and resisting the arrest for fishing without a license, Mr. Tertegte says he’s being wrongly prosecuted for trying to feed himself. Read more at http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=521_1384992875#bulFLgdC720Rg2kY.99

Barack Hussein Obama has spent 5 years ignoring both the law of the land and constitutionally imposed limits on the power of the presidency. So far, republicans in both the House and Senate have done precious little to take this corrupt, Marxist plant to task on his countless abuses of executive authority. But on Monday, during a segment with FOX News political analyst Jeanine Pirro, Congressman Trey Gowdy of South Carolina promised viewers that the House will use the “power of the purse” to end Obama’s obsession with rule rather than governance. When Pirro asked the congressman if House republicans...

When Barack Obama took the oath of office, he agreed, before God and our country, that he would "...preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." In doing so, he also agreed to Article Two, Clause Five of the Constitution which states that the President must "faithfully execute the laws of the land". The word "faithfully" in that statement is clearly defined by Webster's Dictionary as "strict or thorough performance of one's duty." Faithfully does not mean that the President can arbitrarily execute the laws of the land. Nor, does it say he can ignore those parts of...

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said on Friday he would sign a controversial anti-gay bill into law, warning that those who promoted homosexuality would be dealt with harshly. Museveni last month indicated he was planning to shelve the bill, which has attracted fierce criticism from Western donors and human rights groups since its inception in 2009. Homosexuality is taboo in African countries and illegal in 37. Activists say few Africans are openly gay, fearing imprisonment, violence and loss of their jobs. During a conference held by Uganda’s ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, a group of scientists presented their findings on...

Welcome to the CoinDesk Weekly Review 14th February 2014 – a regular look at the hottest, most controversial and thought-provoking events in the world of digital currency through the eyes of skepticism and wonder. Your host … John Law.

Jerome Hauer, a top aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, appears to have regularly carried a firearm to work in violation of state law. Hauer runs New York’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Cuomo, an advocate of ultra-strict gun control laws, appointed him to the job in 2011. Hauer’s 9-millimeter Glock first came to the attention of local newspapers when he used the gun’s laser sighting attachment as a pointer during a meeting with a Swedish delegation. That event occurred last October at a State Police bunker, and was first reported by the Albany Times Union in...