NEW: Catholic therapists sued Michigan today, asking a federal court to protect their ability to provide compassionate, professional counseling to children experiencing distress over their biological sex. becketnewsite.s3.amazonaws.com/20240712181745… Many kids who identify as transgender are being pushed to alter their bodies via drugs, hormones, and surgeries that have no proven benefits and serious, lasting harms--like increased cancer risk, loss of bone density, and permanent sterilization. c-span.org/video/?c507980…

Why are rates of transgender identification skyrocketing? One cause is often overlooked: the law. Multiple laws channel kids down the path of gender transition, creating a powerful “transgender conveyor belt.” Here’s how it works. 🧵 firstthings.com/web-exclusives…
1. School boards adopt curricula to “disrupt” kids’ thinking on gender as early as pre-K. In Maryland, eg, schools don’t let parents know when these concepts are taught or let kids opt out. So some kids start questioning their gender. becketlaw.org/case/mahmoud-v…

BREAKING: A federal appeals court just ruled that Catholic schools are free to choose leaders who will uphold church teachings. This victory is the latest in a series of court rulings that protect religious groups from government interference. becketnewsite.s3.amazonaws.com/20230713211250… The case began when a former guidance counselor at Roncalli High School in Indianapolis lost her job and sued the school after she entered a same-sex union in violation of her contract and Church teaching.

#BREAKING: The 8th Circuit just ruled against the Biden Admin’s transgender mandate, which tried to force religious doctors and hospitals to perform gender transitions against their conscience and medical judgment. A huge win for #ReligiousFreedom! 🧵

becketnewsite.s3.amazonaws.com/20221209161106… The plaintiffs are Catholic nuns, clinics, a university, and hospitals who gladly serve ALL patients regardless of sex or gender identity. They provide top-notch care to transgender patients for everything from cancer to the common cold.

#BREAKING: The Biden Admin just proposed a new rule trying to force doctors to perform gender transitions and abortions: bit.ly/3orFc6n. It's bad for patients, doctors, and religious liberty--but it's already dead on arrival when it comes to religious groups. 🧵1/ HHS says it can punish doctors and hospitals for “sex discrimination” unless they perform gender transitions and abortions. But @Becketlaw and religious doctors sued over this mandate twice, and courts already permanently blocked it: becketlaw.org/media/federal-… 2/

#BREAKING: A federal court just tossed out a lawsuit by a former Catholic-school guidance counselor who broke her contract by entering a same-sex union in violation of Church teaching. This is a big win for #ReligiousFreedom. becketnewsite.s3.amazonaws.com/Summary-Judgme… The guidance counselor claimed that asking Catholic teachers to uphold Catholic teaching is illegal discrimination. becketlaw.org/case/starkey-v…

#BREAKING: The Supreme Court just ruled UNANIMOUSLY that Philadelphia can’t shut down a Catholic foster-care ministry because of its religious beliefs about marriage.

Some will try to say the ruling is “narrow.” Wrong.

Five reasons this is HUGE: 🧵 1. It is UNANIMOUS. This sends a powerful message that religious Americans are free to serve. They don’t have to change their basic beliefs about marriage and family in order to join hands across faith lines and serve the neediest in society.

#BREAKING: The Biden Admin just filed an appeal seeking to force religious doctors and hospitals to perform potentially harmful gender-transition procedures against their conscience and professional medical judgment. This is bad for patients, doctors, and religious liberty. 1/ The Biden Admin says it can punish doctors and hospitals for “sex discrimination” unless they perform controversial gender-transition procedures. A court struck down this #TransgenderMandate in January: becketnewsite.s3.amazonaws.com/Sisters-of-Mer…. But the Biden Admin just appealed.

We had a big court argument today on the #TransgenderMandate--an Affordable Care Act rule requiring doctors to perform controversial gender transition procedures against conscience and medical judgment, even when the procedures can harm patients: becketlaw.org/media/doctors-… Gender transition procedures are hotly disputed within the medical community. Many believe they are deeply harmful—especially when performed on children, who almost always overcome gender-identity struggles as they mature. transgendermandate.org/research

#BREAKING: The Gov't just announced it's rescinding the Final Environmental Impact Statement for Oak Flat—six hours before its deadline to reply to Apache Stronghold’s emergency appeal: resolutionmineeis.us This is no coincidence. The Gov't knows it's in trouble in court. 1/ The Government knows the destruction of Oak Flat violates federal law--including the Religious Freedom Restoration Act: bit.ly/2MBwHGl. So it is retreating--temporarily. But a temporary retreat doesn’t solve the problem. 2/

#BREAKING: Major victory for #ReligiousFreedom: A federal court just struck down the controversial #TransgenderMandate that ordered doctors to perform potentially harmful gender-transition procedures in violation of conscience and medical judgment: 1/
s3.amazonaws.com/becketnewsite/… The plaintiffs are religious doctors, hospitals, and clinics who joyfully serve ALL patients regardless of sex or gender identity. They routinely provide top-notch care to transgender patients for everything from cancer to the common cold. 2/

#BREAKING: Huge religious freedom victory tonight at the Supreme Court--stopping NY Gov Cuomo’s discriminatory #COVID19 worship restrictions against @BECKETlaw’s Orthodox Jewish clients. Here’s a thread with key excerpts from the Court’s opinions. s3.amazonaws.com/becketnewsite/… 1/ Biggest takeaway: The Court resoundingly rejects blind deference to COVID-related restrictions on worship. Instead, all governments must recognize the Constitution still controls during a pandemic: 2/

Great argument in Fulton today! #SCOTUS looks poised to protect foster families and their Catholic foster care ministry. Main question is how broad the vote will be (8-1, 9-0?) and how broad the reasoning (is Smith in play?). Key takeaways: (thread) The Justices broadly agreed that CSS has done vital work for over 200 years, and the City had no need to go after them. No same-sex couple has ever been turned away, yet city officials manufactured this dispute by shutting down CSS. 2/

Great news! Two Texas brothers just defeated one of the dumbest attacks on #ReligiousFreedom you will find: Their school banned them from all sports and clubs unless they cut sacred braids they’ve kept as a religious vow since birth. bit.ly/2VzqJHB 1/ In Cesar’s infancy, his parents made a religious vow never to cut a lock of his hair if he was healed from meningitis. He was healed, and he and his brother have kept the vow ever since. This kind of “promesa” has deep roots among Mexican Catholics. 2/

Key takeaways from the Little Sisters argument @ #SCOTUS today:
1. It was clear the gov’t has many ways to give out contraception. It doesn’t need to conscript nuns. So #ReligiousFreedom protects the Sisters. 2. The states haven’t identified a SINGLE woman ever denied coverage due to a religious exemption. As the Obama Admin admitted, they get coverage on family plans, on the exchange, or other gov’t programs. Zero harm.

#BREAKING: The 11th Circuit just ruled that the #BayviewCross, which has stood in a @CityofPensacola park for almost 80 years, is allowed to STAY! This is a major victory for #ReligiousFreedom and an important new precedent: 1/ s3.amazonaws.com/becketnewsite/… @cityofpensacola The cross was erected by Pensacola citizens in 1941, just months before the US entered WWII. It has long been a gathering place for community events and it is a valued part of the city’s history and culture: becketlaw.org/case/kondratye… 2/

#BREAKING: A federal court has thrown out criminal convictions of four volunteers who left food and water in the desert for migrants at risk of death. The court said prosecuting them violated #RFRA--a major victory for #ReligiousFreedom! 1/ s3.amazonaws.com/becketnewsite/… Fueled by faith, these volunteers traveled to the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, where migrant deaths are common, placing food & water along foot trails to prevent future deaths. 32 sets of human remains were recovered from this area in 2017 alone. 2/ credit: Google

This is a bizarre case of progressives siding with the #Trump Administration and throwing Muslims and their civil rights under the bus--even when the supposed “benefit” for LGBT folks is nonexistent.

This is open hostility to #ReligiousFreedom: 1/

vox.com/policy-and-pol… It's also wrong about who RFRA protects. Our empirical study of religious freedom cases shows that the groups getting the most benefit are non-Christian minorities, not Christians. Bleating "Hobby Lobby" doesn’t change that: 2/
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf…

#BREAKING: Huge victory for #ReligiousFreedom:
A federal court just struck down the controversial #TransgenderMandate, which tried to force doctors to perform potentially harmful gender-transition procedures against their conscience and medical judgment:
becketlaw.org/media/court-do… A 2016 HHS regulation, governing nearly every doctor nationwide, said doctors must perform gender-transition procedures, even on children, & even when the procedures could be harmful and were against the doctors’ conscience and medical judgment.
transgendermandate.org 2/

BREAKING: a federal appeals court just upheld the constitutionality of tax-exempt housing allowances for ministers--sparing churches and ministers across the country almost $1 billion per year in new taxes.

This is a HUGE victory for religious freedom. 1/ 2. The court’s decision is here: s3.amazonaws.com/becketnewsite/….
@BECKETlaw’s press release is here: becketlaw.org/media/court-pr….