Re: Re-upping: Sterling: A helpful test case on RFRA burdens

2017-05-05 Thread James Oleske
The petitioner's briefing at the cert stage of this case has been profoundly discouraging. Although the case does raise a genuinely interesting question that may be worthy of Supreme Court review -- must a RFRA plaintiff show "an honest belief that the practice is important to his free exercise

Re: Trinity Lutheran and the ERISA cases - Do Churches Want Special Treatment or Not?

2017-04-26 Thread James Oleske
I'm confused about how the "deal" has changed. The Title VII exemption allowing religious preferences by religious organizations has remained the same since its expansion in 1972, and the key cases rejecting its application to other types of discrimination were decided in the 1980s -- the same

Re: Is Trinity Lutheran Church moot?

2017-04-18 Thread James Oleske
See, e.g., Quern v. Jordan, 440 U.S. 332, 340-41 (1979): "Mr. Justice BRENNAN in his opinion concurring in the judgment argues that our holding in *Edelman* that § 1983 does not abrogate the States' Eleventh Amendment immunity is 'most likely incorrect.' To reach this conclusion he relies on

Re: Re-upping: Sterling: A helpful test case on RFRA burdens

2017-02-21 Thread James Oleske
the "honest belief" component of the CAAF's "important to free exercise" reasoning, even though that component comes directly from the Fifth Circuit's decision in *Sossamon*, which in turn relied on the earlier *Adkins* case cited in Texas's *Sossamon *brief. - Jim O

Re: Re-upping: Sterling: A helpful test case on RFRA burdens

2017-02-21 Thread James Oleske
Thanks to Marty for re-upping this thread. Two initial, related thoughts: 1. It would be very interesting to hear from Chip on this issue, as the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF) explicitly cited his excellent article, "*Hobby Lobby* and the Dubious Enterprise of Religious

Re: Arlene's Flowers

2017-02-16 Thread James Oleske
- Jim On Thu, Feb 16, 2017 at 9:26 AM, Marty Lederman < martin.leder...@law.georgetown.edu> wrote: > No specific discussion of the "least restrictive means" requirement. Did > Stutzman make any argument in that regard? > > On Thu, Feb 16, 2017 at 12:08 PM, James O

Re: Arlene's Flowers

2017-02-16 Thread James Oleske
One initial observation: While much of the ground in the opinion has previously been covered by courts in New Mexico and Colorado, this case involved one issue not present in prior "wedding vendor" cases: an exemption claim under a state constitutional provision that has been interpreted to

Symposium Issue: Law and Religion in an Increasingly Polarized America

2017-02-06 Thread James Oleske
Dear Colleagues, I am pleased to announce the publication of "Law and Religion in an Increasingly Polarized America," a symposium issue of the Lewis & Clark Law Review. The nine papers in the symposium offer a variety of perspectives on religious accommodation and church-state boundaries, and all

Re: Religious Test for Immigration/Refugee--Lawsuits?

2017-01-30 Thread James Oleske
The first count of the complaint filed today in the Eastern District of Virginia by CAIR lawyers challenging the EO is based on the Establishment Clause (the complaint also raises free exercise, equal protection, and APA arguments):

Re: Scalia's views of RFRA?

2016-11-22 Thread James Oleske
During the Holt v. Hobbs oral argument, in discussing the strict scrutiny standard in RLUIPA, Justice Scalia said the following: "We’re talking here about a compelling State interest. *Bear in mind I would not have enacted this statute*, but there it is. It says there has to be a compelling State

Re: Noteworthy, puzzling scholars' brief in Arlene Flowers

2016-10-12 Thread James Oleske
ct that Freed is the same sex as > Ingersoll--if Ingersoll were a woman, she'd sell him flower arrangements > for the marriage to Freed). But in that case, its coverage under the act > would be even more self-evident, wouldn't it? > > On Wed, Oct 12, 2016 at 4:55 PM, James Oleske <jole..

Re: Noteworthy, puzzling scholars' brief in Arlene Flowers

2016-10-12 Thread James Oleske
In case it's of interest, I believe the most extensive judicial discussion of this issue to date comes from the Colorado Court of Appeals in the Masterpiece Caskeshop case: https://www.courts.state.co.us/Courts/Court_of_Appeals/Opini on/2015/14CA1351-PD.pdf (pages 12-23). In concluding that a

Re: New Version of Proposed First Amendment Defense Act

2016-07-13 Thread James Oleske
; > masin...@nova.edu > > > > > > > > *From:* religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu [mailto: > religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu] *On Behalf Of *James Oleske > *Sent:* Wednesday, July 13, 2016 6:29 PM > *To:* Law & Religion issues for Law Academics <religio

Re: New Version of Proposed First Amendment Defense Act

2016-07-13 Thread James Oleske
, and conflicting messages from its supporters today (Heritage has invoked the "both sides" aspect of the revised FADA to defend it, while that is precisely what has led FRC to withdraw its support of the bill). - Jim On Wed, Jul 13, 2016 at 8:47 AM, James Oleske <jole...@lcla

New Version of Proposed First Amendment Defense Act

2016-07-13 Thread James Oleske
In the wake of yesterday's hearing on the proposed First Amendment Defense Act (FADA), which now has 171 co-sponsores in the House, there has been some confusion about the text of the bill. I believe the source of this confusion is the fact that the version discussed at the hearing was neither (1)

Re: Why didn't Stormans bring a state free exercise claim?

2016-06-29 Thread James Oleske
research indicates that attorney's fees for a prevailing party in a state constitutional law case might be capped at $200 total. By contrast, after Stormans prevailed in the federal district court on their section 1983 claim, that court approved an award of over $2 million in attorney's fees. - Jim On Tu

Re: Why didn't Stormans bring a state free exercise claim?

2016-06-28 Thread James Oleske
DFlegal.org > Not Licensed in DC > Practice Limited to Federal Court > > *From:* religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu [mailto: > religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu] *On Behalf Of *James Oleske > *Sent:* Tuesday, June 28, 2016 9:48 PM > *To:* Law & Religion issues for Law Academics >

Why didn't Stormans bring a state free exercise claim?

2016-06-28 Thread James Oleske
Like the plaintiff in Merced v. Kasson, 577 F.3d 578 (5th Cir. 2009), I believe the owners of Stormans could have brought both (1) a federal free exercise claim, which faced the challenge of getting past the Smith hurdle, and (2) a state free exercise claim under a Sherbert/Yoder-like exemption

Re: Cert. Petition Filed in Pharmacy Free Exercise Case

2016-06-28 Thread James Oleske
gt;> The Alito dissent is apparently why the case was held so long and >>> relisted so many times. And of course I like the Alito dissent. But I have >>> to say that his footnote 6 is utterly shameless in light of his dissent >>> yesterday in *Woman’s Whole He

Re: Cert. Petition Filed in Pharmacy Free Exercise Case

2016-06-28 Thread James Oleske
Dan -- I agree that Lukumi did not answer this question directly, but didn't Yoder? Here's what the Court said about the issue there: "A way of life, however virtuous and admirable, may not be interposed as a barrier to reasonable state regulation of education if it is based on purely secular

Re: Cert. Petition Filed in Pharmacy Free Exercise Case

2016-06-28 Thread James Oleske
er "moral or ethical objections." > > > > On Tue, Jun 28, 2016 at 9:43 AM, Marty Lederman <lederman.ma...@gmail.com> > wrote: > >> 15-page Alito dissent from denial, joined by Roberts and Thomas: >> >> http://www.supremecourt.gov/orders

Re: Cert. Petition Filed in Pharmacy Free Exercise Case

2016-06-01 Thread James Oleske
is granted, this has the makings of a landmark free exercise case. - Jim On Mon, Jan 4, 2016 at 11:34 PM, James Oleske <jole...@lclark.edu> wrote: > On Monday, Stormans Inc. -- which operates a pharmacy in Washington State > -- filed a cert. petition seeking review of the Ninth Circui

Heffernan, Establishment, and Justice Scalia

2016-04-28 Thread James Oleske
In the *Heffernan* decision issued earlier this week, the Court held a public employer can violate the First Amendment when it acts with the motive of punishing protected employee political activity, even if the punished employee was not actually engaged in protected political activity. In

Zubik: Revisiting the Laycock/BJC Amicus Brief in Light of the Supplemental Briefing

2016-04-21 Thread James Oleske
My impression after oral argument was that things went better for the petitioners and worse for the government than many expected, in large part because the substantial-burden issue got so little play. My impression after reading the two rounds of supplemental briefs, which ended with the filing

Re: Additional Equal Protection Argument & Local Government Law Clarifications (Charlotte Ordinance/NC Law)

2016-04-05 Thread James Oleske
in the prohibition on local acts would have > precluded the legislature from passing a narrower bill limited to statewide > restroom use, but that does not make HB2 necessarily unconstitutional. For > the reasons Will explained, it seems a stretch to apply apply *Romer * > here. > > Greg Wall

Additional Equal Protection Argument & Local Government Law Clarifications (Charlotte Ordinance/NC Law)

2016-04-02 Thread James Oleske
A few thoughts on some of the comments made in yesterday's discussion between Greg Lipper and Greg Wallace. Greg L. wrote: “Starting on a clean slate and defeating an amendment to add a particular protected category [to a statewide antidiscrimination law] doesn’t seem suspect by itself. But

Re: The Charlotte City Ordinance and Religious Freedom

2016-04-01 Thread James Oleske
; elimination of the YMCA carveout was meaningless and the YMCA and YWCA were > still exempt from the sex discrimination provisions of the ordinance, > particularly when one of the three exceptions was left in the statute. > > Will Esser > > > -- &

Re: The Charlotte City Ordinance and Religious Freedom

2016-03-31 Thread James Oleske
Will expresses concern about "how truly radical the Charlotte City ordinance was" and how it was "entirely over the top." It would appear, however, that the changes made to the ordinance in February simply made it consistent with the majority of other state and local laws prohibiting sex

Re: The Establishment Clause question in the Trinity Lutheran case

2016-02-24 Thread James Oleske
ionally mandated in Hosanna-Tabor Lutheran Church v. EEOC. I > wonder if Eugene, and others who question the Trinity Lutheran Church > outcome, think that unanimous decision is incorrect. > > > Sent from my iPhone > > > On Jan 17, 2016, at 5:33 PM, James Oleske <jole

Re: Religious exemptions, antidiscrimination law, and businesses

2016-02-24 Thread James Oleske
Another Minnesota for-profit case, which I don't think was mentioned in the earlier chain, but which was cited in Justice Ginsburg's *Hobby Lobby* dissent, is *Minnesota ex rel. McClure*, 370 N.W.2d 844, 847 (Minn.1985) (upholding under *Sherbert*/*Yoder*-type scrutiny the application of a state

Re: help wanted

2016-02-22 Thread James Oleske
Some years back, I wrote an article about whether Title VII's reasonable accommodation provision is valid Section 5 enforcement legislation abrogating state sovereign immunity (http://ssrn.com/abstract=476621). Here's the conclusion: "When Title VII's reasonable-accommodation provision was

Re: The Establishment Clause question in the Trinity Lutheran case

2016-01-17 Thread James Oleske
To clarify, Eugene: Would this "maximalist equal treatment" theory prohibit legislative exemptions available to religion but not non-religion, or just legislative burdens placed on religion but not non-religion? If only the latter, is it really a maximalist equal treatment theory? If both the

Cert. Petition Filed in Pharmacy Free Exercise Case

2016-01-04 Thread James Oleske
to dispensing particular drugs (whether it be emergency contraception or drugs produced in countries with objectionable human rights practices or drugs tested on particular animals) and religious moral objections. - Jim On Thu, Jul 23, 2015 at 10:48 AM, James Oleske <jole...@lclark.edu> wrote: &

Re: the unconstitutionality of barring Muslims from entering the U.S.

2015-12-10 Thread James Oleske
er relevant and reflective treatments. See also >> this valuable report of a task force on religion and U.S. foreign policy >> sponsored by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs: >> http://kroc.nd.edu/sites/default/files/engaging_religious_communities_abroad.pdf. >> I think every

Re: the unconstitutionality of barring Muslims from entering the U.S.

2015-12-10 Thread James Oleske
overnment taking a position on matters disputed within the faith itself. > > On Thu, Dec 10, 2015 at 5:23 PM, James Oleske <jole...@lclark.edu> wrote: > >> I agree with Marty that this whole discussion is unnerving, but given the >> initial polls showing (1) substantial m

Re: the unconstitutionality of barring Muslims from entering the U.S.

2015-12-09 Thread James Oleske
Although Rick and Chip agree that Trump's proposal violates the Establishment Clause, they travel different paths to that conclusion, and those different paths raise (I think) an interesting question: Under the Court's precedents, is it clear that the "denominational discrimination" rule Rick

Re: State RFRAs and their equivalents

2015-12-05 Thread James Oleske
In addition to Doug's piece, this March 2014 post from Eugene has a map and comprehensive legend covering both RFRAs and state constitutional provisions that have been interpreted as providing exemption rights:

Re: State RFRAs and their equivalents

2015-12-05 Thread James Oleske
he Capital: > http://bjconline.org/state-RFRA-tracker-2015/ It is kept updated. It > does not however cover the state constitutional part. > > Howard Friedman > > -- > *From:* religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu [ > religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucl

Re: Post-Obergefell, post-Indiana state initiatives for religious exemptions

2015-11-29 Thread James Oleske
In addition to the anticipated re-introduction of the Georgia RFRA that Chip mentions below, a state analog of the federal First Amendment Defense Act (FADA) has been introduced in Illinois. In addition, a bill has been introduced in Indiana that would combine statewide LGBT-rights protections

Re: 3rd Circuit's Interesting Religious Discrimination Decision

2015-10-14 Thread James Oleske
I've admittedly only skimmed the decision, but given that the court found that the plaintiffs had pled a free exercise claim, it's not entirely clear why (1) the majority had to decide the equal-protection/scrutiny-level question and (2) Judge Roth's preference for intermediate scrutiny of

Re: "Call for Constitutional Resistance"

2015-10-09 Thread James Oleske
A doctrinal question concerning the full statement: One of the "grave" consequences the statement says can be "predicted with confidence" as a result of *Obergefell* is that individuals and organizations who do not accept same-sex marriage will be "denied constitutional rights in order to

Re: Kim Davis announcement about what she'll do at work today

2015-09-14 Thread James Oleske
Update: Unlike the licenses previously issued by deputy clerk Brian Mason to same-sex couples, which included "in the office of Rowan County," the license he issued this morning has the words "in the office of" crossed out and the language "Pursuant to the Federal Court Order" in the place where

Re: Kim Davis announcement about what she'll do at work today

2015-09-14 Thread James Oleske
Sorry -- "deposition" in the message below should be "preliminary injunction hearing." - Jim On Mon, Sep 14, 2015 at 9:14 AM, James Oleske <jole...@lclark.edu> wrote: > Update: > > Unlike the licenses previously issued by deputy clerk Brian Mason to

Assessing a Proposed Solution to the KY Case

2015-09-12 Thread James Oleske
Stepping back from the detailed discussion Kevin, Marty, and others have been having today about the intricacies and proper interpretation of Kentucky law, I wanted to address more broadly Kevin's suggested solution to the Davis situation. Here's the key testimony from Kim Davis that Kevin quotes

Re: Davis doubles down

2015-09-08 Thread James Oleske
For what it's worth, in their filing to the Sixth Circuit yesterday, Davis's attorneys insisted that she was *not* making a complicity claim akin to that being made in the contraception cases, and they emphasized that her concern was the appearance of her name on the forms (emphasis in original):

Re: Davis doubles down

2015-09-08 Thread James Oleske
substitute another official to carry out the > state's duty so that nobody's right to marry is burdened. > > From: religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu [ > religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu] on behalf of James Oleske [ > jole...@lcla

Re: Question about the Kentucky County Clerk controversy

2015-09-03 Thread James Oleske
Thanks for the clarification, Eugene. I had assumed the clerk would be seeking an accommodation specific to licenses for same-sex couples. But in looking at the various alternatives the clerk has proposed in describing her putative state RFRA claim, only one is explicitly limited to same-sex

Re: Question about the Kentucky County Clerk controversy

2015-09-02 Thread James Oleske
I agree with Eugene that being elected doesn't disqualify one from getting exemptions that lower-level officials might get, but I read Howard's email to be raising a different distinction that might have an analog in the free speech context. Some speech by a government employee is the employee's

Re: Question about the Kentucky County Clerk controversy

2015-09-02 Thread James Oleske
Eugene > > > > *From:* religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu [mailto: > religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu] *On Behalf Of *James Oleske > *Sent:* Wednesday, September 02, 2015 9:09 PM > *To:* Law & Religion issues for Law Academics > *Subject:* Re: Questio

Re: Ninth Circuit Decides Pharmacy Free Exercise Case

2015-07-23 Thread James Oleske
Link to decision: http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2015/07/23/12-35221.pdf On Thu, Jul 23, 2015 at 10:48 AM, James Oleske jole...@lclark.edu wrote: Today, the Ninth Circuit issued its opinion in *Stormans, Inc. v. Wiesman*, a long-running case involving a pharmacy's free-exercise

Times Story on Tax-Exempt Status for Religious Schools Opposing Same-Sex Marriage

2015-06-24 Thread James Oleske
At least four list members (Doug, Rick, Chip, and Eugene) quoted in this Times story: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/25/us/schools-fear-impact-of-gay-marriage-ruling-on-tax-status.html - Jim ___ To post, send message to Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu To

Re: New Minnesota Freedom of Conscience Bill

2015-05-09 Thread James Oleske
Quick Correction: the final letter referenced in my message below went to legislators in Illinois, not Wisconsin. Sorry about that. - Jim On Sat, May 9, 2015 at 2:28 PM, James Oleske jole...@lclark.edu wrote: The text of the bill, which was announced on Thursday and formally introduced

Re: By the power vested in me . . . ?

2015-05-07 Thread James Oleske
Hypothetical Statute (building off of Marty's, but designed to raise Nelson's Hosanna-Tabor point more directly): Michigan passes a statute that says schools can only be licensed if they adhere to nondiscrimination conditions in their employment relations. If Michigan attempted to enforce those

Gordon College v. Bob Jones Redux v. Conflicts Actually Likely to Arise

2015-04-30 Thread James Oleske
My apologies to Michael for the delay in answering the question he asked of Chip and me earlier about Gordon College. I'll be honest, the Gordon College situation was not on my radar, and now I think I know why. Last October, the College issued a statement that [c]ontrary to recent media reports,

Re: Religious organizations, tax-exempt status and same-sex marriage

2015-04-30 Thread James Oleske
Relevant to point #4 below, one Orthodox rabbi has weighed in very publicly on the Louisiana controversy: http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2015/04/religious_freedom_louisiana.html On Thu, Apr 30, 2015 at 6:20 AM, Kwall, Roberta rkw...@depaul.edu wrote: I have been following this

Re: Gordon College v. Bob Jones Redux v. Conflicts Actually Likely to Arise

2015-04-30 Thread James Oleske
over time. But it is a place to begin. So if I may ask, Jim. Would you support or oppose the denial of a tax exemption in such a case? Alan -- *From:* religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu on behalf of James Oleske jole

Re: Religious organizations, tax-exempt status and same-sex marriage

2015-04-30 Thread James Oleske
Luke, Speaking only for myself, I would approach each case by asking how the law or regulation would have treated similar discrimination issues before gay people asked for equal access. My understanding of the New Jersey rule is that it would have prohibited the denial of access for marriages

Re: Religious organizations, tax-exempt status and same-sex marriage

2015-04-29 Thread James Oleske
, Apr 29, 2015 at 7:18 PM, James Oleske jole...@lclark.edu wrote: My quick take is that, at least in the short term, the prospect of such schools losing their tax-exempt status is very low for the following reasons: 1. Unlike most antidiscrimination statutes and regulations, which typically

Re: Religious organizations, tax-exempt status and same-sex marriage

2015-04-29 Thread James Oleske
in 2022 under a democratic congress and President, they won't put pressure on the same schools that have had their accreditation threatened (Gordon and perhaps others) using the tax-exempt status hammer? On Wed, Apr 29, 2015 at 8:18 PM, James Oleske jole...@lclark.edu wrote: My quick take

Re: Louisiana Update: Gov. Jindal Will Support Marriage Conscience Act (specific exemption, not a RFRA)

2015-04-08 Thread James Oleske
is that state legislation usually spells that out. It's a very strange bill -- narrow in some ways and overbroad in others. On Wed, 8 Apr 2015 19:27:06 -0700 James Oleske jole...@lclark.edu wrote: Apologies to my fellow list members -- I dashed off the message below quickly before heading to class

Re: Louisiana Update: Gov. Jindal Will Support Marriage Conscience Act (specific exemption, not a RFRA)

2015-04-08 Thread James Oleske
this bill is trying to solve (the interview was not illuminating on that point)? - Jim On Mon, Apr 6, 2015 at 8:37 PM, James Oleske jole...@lclark.edu wrote: Gov. Jindal's office announced today that he will support newly proposed legislation in Louisiana that would give businesses the right

Re: And One vote for Cert Denied

2015-04-07 Thread James Oleske
I think there is one very big cert-worthy issue on the horizon that could still arise out of the wedding vendor cases in states that do not cover sexual-orientation discrimination in their otherwise broad civil rights laws: Do such omissions violate the Equal Protection Clause? I make the fairly

Louisiana Update: Gov. Jindal Will Support Marriage Conscience Act (specific exemption, not a RFRA)

2015-04-06 Thread James Oleske
(Louisiana has hosted 10 Super Bowls). - Jim On Sun, Apr 5, 2015 at 11:55 AM, James Oleske jole...@lclark.edu wrote: When asked about the Indiana RFRA on Meet the Press today, Gov. Jindal said the following: Let's remember what this debate was originally all about. This is about business owners

Re: Eugene's Blog Post on Liberals and Exemption Rights

2015-04-05 Thread James Oleske
When asked about the Indiana RFRA on Meet the Press today, Gov. Jindal said the following: Let's remember what this debate was originally all about. This is about business owners that don't wanna have to choose between their Christian faith, their sincerely held religious beliefs, and being able

Religious Non-Profits

2015-04-05 Thread James Oleske
At the end of his post below, Chip writes: The hardest questions for me, and I don't see a whole lot of discussion on the list about these, are the exemptions for religiously affiliated non-profits. As someone who has been guilty of focusing almost all my attention on the for-profit disputes, I

Re: Text of Indiana RFRA Fix; Video of Hearing

2015-04-02 Thread James Oleske
-- *From:* religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu [ religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu] on behalf of James Oleske [ jole...@lclark.edu] *Sent:* Thursday, April 02, 2015 3:30 PM *To:* Law Religion issues

Re: Text of Indiana RFRA Fix; Video of Hearing

2015-04-02 Thread James Oleske
or oppose the fix. - Jim On Thu, Apr 2, 2015 at 7:33 AM, James Oleske jole...@lclark.edu wrote: The text of the fix is here: http://t.co/58d1K81D1L It provides that the RFRA does not: (1) authorize a provider to refuse to offer or provide services, facilities, use of public accommodations

Text of Indiana RFRA Fix; Video of Hearing

2015-04-02 Thread James Oleske
The text of the fix is here: http://t.co/58d1K81D1L It provides that the RFRA does not: (1) authorize a provider to refuse to offer or provide services, facilities, use of public accommodations, goods, employment, or housing to any member or members of the general public on the basis of race,

Report on Draft Language of Indiana Fix

2015-04-01 Thread James Oleske
From the Indianapolis Star, which says it has obtained the language that is being presented to the Governor today: *** The clarification would say that the new religious freedom law does not authorize a provider – including businesses or individuals -- to refuse to offer or provide its services,

Re: So much for Arkansas RFRA?

2015-04-01 Thread James Oleske
The Arkansas Senate passed a new bill tonight, and the House is expected to take it up tomorrow. The text is here: http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2015/2015R/Amendments/sb975-S1.pdf My guess is that the new version of the Arkansas RFRA bill -- which is intended to more closely mirror the

Eugene's Blog Post on Liberals and Exemption Rights

2015-04-01 Thread James Oleske
Eugene has a new post up on Volokh Conspiracy entitled, Many liberals’ (sensible) retreat from the old Justice Brennan/ACLU position on religious exemptions. The piece is lengthy, and I recommend folks read it in full, but I want to take issue with the following assertion at the heart of Eugene's

Re: Eugene's Blog Post on Liberals and Exemption Rights

2015-04-01 Thread James Oleske
Of *James Oleske *Sent:* Wednesday, April 01, 2015 2:25 PM *To:* Law Religion issues for Law Academics *Subject:* Eugene's Blog Post on Liberals and Exemption Rights Eugene has a new post up on Volokh Conspiracy entitled, Many liberals’ (sensible) retreat from the old Justice Brennan/ACLU

Re: Eugene's Blog Post on Liberals and Exemption Rights

2015-04-01 Thread James Oleske
law does not impose a substantial burden on religion because the complainant is free to move to another state.” http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2010/06/23-kagan-rogers *From:* religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu [mailto: religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu] *On Behalf Of *James

Re: Eugene's Blog Post on Liberals and Exemption Rights

2015-04-01 Thread James Oleske
Following up on Alan and Nelson's discussion of third-party burdens, I think it might be helpful to identify two separate legal issues that are impacted by such burdens: 1. The issue of whether a party has a right to a religious exemption in a given case. 2. The issue of whether a discretionary

Re: Amazing what Hobby Lobby has wrought

2015-03-31 Thread James Oleske
. On Fri, 27 Mar 2015 23:58:40 -0700 James Oleske jole...@lclark.edu wrote: no one is talking about discrimination against gay and lesbian people as such That assertion is simply incorrect. In opposing ENDA, the Family Research Council complained that, under it, [y]ou can’t decline to hire

Re: civil rights carve out from state RFRAs

2015-03-31 Thread James Oleske
Quick update from Indiana: Gov. Pence just did a press conference, and the Indianapolis Star characterizes the bottom line as follows: Pence said he had come to the conclusion that it will be helpful to move legislation this week to amend the law to make it clear that it does not give businesses

Re: state RFRA's and local anti-discrimination laws

2015-03-30 Thread James Oleske
Dale Carpenter addresses this issue briefly at the end of a piece he just posted on VC, which is primarily focused on responding to the claim that there is nothing to see here because the Indiana law is modeled on 1990s era RFRAs. Here's the relevant passage concerning claims for state-law RFRA

Re: Amazing what Hobby Lobby has wrought

2015-03-28 Thread James Oleske
no one is talking about discrimination against gay and lesbian people as such That assertion is simply incorrect. In opposing ENDA, the Family Research Council complained that, under it, [y]ou can’t decline to hire a homosexual for religious reasons. Similarly, in opposing the recent Utah

Re: Amazing what Hobby Lobby has wrought

2015-03-27 Thread James Oleske
I have to disagree with Doug and Ryan that the earlier controversy over the Arizona bill casts any doubt on Marty's point about the consequences of the Hobby Lobby decision. Recall, the Arizona bill wasn't an initial RFRA enactment. Rather, it was a proposed amendment to the existing Arizona RFRA

Re: Utah Bill re: LGBT discrimination, with religious exemptions

2015-03-04 Thread James Oleske
http://le.utah.gov/~2015/bills/static/SB0296.html On Wed, Mar 4, 2015 at 1:15 PM, Ira Lupu icl...@law.gwu.edu wrote: Many stories on-line about the new proposal, e.g., http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/mormon-church-backs-utah-anti-discrimination-bill/ Does anyone have a link to the

Re: Utah Bill re: LGBT discrimination, with religious exemptions

2015-03-04 Thread James Oleske
A quick follow-up: The earlier housing/employment LGBT antidiscrimination bill to which Doug linked (SB 100) was filed the same day as a public accommodations LGBT antidiscrimination bill (SB 99). They were both filed January 29, 2015, before the LDS Church's announcement that it would support a

Merits Decision in Washington Florist Case

2015-02-18 Thread James Oleske
http://www.atg.wa.gov/uploadedFiles/Home/News/Press_Releases/2015/Arlene%27s%20Flowers%20summary%20judgment.pdf Earlier today, a state court judge in Washington granted summary judgment on the merits against Arlene's Flowers and its owner Barronelle Stuzman. I believe this is the first judicial

Re: The racist prostitute hypothetical

2015-02-15 Thread James Oleske
in question. In my opinion, the reason why I think Employment Division v Smith ranks right up with Dred Scott v Sandford among the worst decisions the Supreme Court has ever issued. *From:* religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu [mailto: religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu] *On Behalf Of *James

Re: The racist prostitute hypothetical

2015-02-15 Thread James Oleske
, James Oleske jole...@lclark.edu wrote: Brad writes of free speech doctrine: [T]he court isn't determining if a person's words are mistaken . . . when they say that free speech doesn't cover slander or libel. we have long held that actual malice requires material falsity *Air Wisconsin

Re: The racist prostitute hypothetical

2015-02-15 Thread James Oleske
is) dismissed with People supported slavery and opposed interracial marriage the same way. That's not free exercise under any definition that has any meaning. *From:* religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu [mailto: religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu] *On Behalf Of *James Oleske *Sent:* Sunday

Re: The racist prostitute hypothetical

2015-02-14 Thread James Oleske
Brad writes: [T]he fact that people have wrongly tried [to] make religious freedom claims doesn't mean we disregard all religious freedom claims. We ought to be able to distinguish between the two. Although Brad thinks the law ought to be able to distinguish between wrong and correct religious

Re: Oklahoma bill would protect clergy who won't perform gay marriages

2015-02-13 Thread James Oleske
One interesting question is whether situations like that in Coeur d'Alene -- even assuming they are not adequately addressed by constitutional protections for freedom of association and freedom of religion -- are best addressed statutorily through (1) the definition of places of public

Combined Thread on Civil Rights Laws: Libertarian Definitional Limits or Religious Exemptions?

2015-02-13 Thread James Oleske
Given the overlap between Eugene's two most recent messages -- one on the Oklahoma bill thread and the other offering the new racist prostitute hypothetical -- I thought it might be helpful to put them both in one thread. Eugene's messages raise precisely the question I had been hoping to raise:

Re: Jim Oleske's new review of book by Robert George

2015-02-11 Thread James Oleske
expediency. The shrewdest way to buttress an argument *ad hominem* is to create an appearance of engaging an opponent’s arguments while so distorting his view that a caricature takes the place of the original. Lewis and Clark University law professor James Oleske deploys the last

Re: letter re: proposed Georgia RFRA

2015-01-25 Thread James Oleske
on the Bill (if enacted) to discriminate. Likewise entrepreneurs, whose businesses are not held in the corporate form. Sent from my iPhone On Jan 23, 2015, at 9:01 PM, James Oleske jole...@lclark.edu wrote: Thanks for the links, Chip. Interestingly, the sponsor of the legislation told

Re: letter re: proposed Georgia RFRA

2015-01-23 Thread James Oleske
Thanks for the links, Chip. Interestingly, the sponsor of the legislation told a reporter a couple of days ago that he was planning to change the bill to address concerns like those laid out in your letter. Here's the relevant passage from the news report: *** Mark Goldfeder, a law professor at

I would not have enacted this statute - Justice Scalia on RLUIPA

2014-10-18 Thread James Oleske
I'm listening to the replay of the Holt v. Hobbs argument on CSPAN, and was struck a moment ago by this comment from Justice Scalia while discussing compelling state interest standard with the Assistant SG: We’re talking here about a compelling State interest. *Bear in mind I would not have

Re: Is it possible that rights of both same-sex couples and vendors who object on religious grounds could be protected?

2014-10-09 Thread James Oleske
One caveat to the observations both Chip and Doug have made about the situation in the 29 states that have not extended their public accommodations laws to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. While one would not expect claims against wedding vendors to arise under state law

Re: Extent of Wheaton College's Objection

2014-07-05 Thread James Oleske
, Jul 5, 2014 at 1:27 PM, James Oleske jole...@lclark.edu wrote: Marty -- In your message below, and in your post over at Balkinization, you posit that Wheaton College might still allege a RFRA violation if employees do get the coverage under the Court's current solution of written notification

Re: Simple Hobby Lobby question

2014-06-12 Thread James Oleske
forced to live by some other religion’s view of the matter and to violate the rules of their own religion. Douglas Laycock Robert E. Scott Distinguished Professor of Law University of Virginia Law School 580 Massie Road Charlottesville, VA 22903 434-243-8546 *From:* James Oleske

Re: RFRA and Corporations

2014-05-15 Thread James Oleske
Based on the briefs and oral argument in Hobby Lobby, one thing is already clear: Professor Laycock's contention that the public meaning of RFRA can be discerned by examining the congressional debates over RLPA has had a notable impact. Not only did Paul Clement invoke the argument in Hobby

Size Limits on Businesses That Can Obtain Religious Exemptions (was Oregon Ballot Title: Religious Exemptions Same-Sex Couples)

2014-05-13 Thread James Oleske
Robert E. Scott Distinguished Professor of Law University of Virginia Law School 580 Massie Road Charlottesville, VA 22903 434-243-8546 *From:* religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu [mailto: religionlaw-boun...@lists.ucla.edu] *On Behalf Of *James Oleske *Sent:* Friday, May 09

Re: bigotry and sincere religious belief

2014-02-27 Thread James Oleske
As Chip notes, there are profound difficulties in trying to use law as a instrument to sort the sincere objectors from the bigots and phobes. And until recently, our consistent approach to antidiscrimination laws and religious accommodations implicitly recognized what Chip ultimately concludes

Same-Sex Marriage and Proposed Religious Exemptions for Businesses

2014-02-26 Thread James Oleske
In light of the recent discussions of this issue on the list, and in light the various proposals percolating in the states, I've got a question for the group and a shameless plug. First, the shameless plug -- I've just posted a new piece on the issue to SSRN (it won't be in print until next year,

Re: Same-Sex Marriage and Proposed Religious Exemptions for Businesses

2014-02-26 Thread James Oleske
a religious accommodation clause once it is enacted, even if the majority comes to regret having enacted it. On Wed, Feb 26, 2014 at 11:46 AM, James Oleske jole...@lclark.edu wrote: In light of the recent discussions of this issue on the list, and in light the various proposals percolating

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