Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Francis Beckwith
Title: Re: The President and the Pope Point taken.   Frank On 6/15/04 12:02 AM, "Paul Finkelman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Frank, I think your point misses the issue. It is not about whether particular Catholics follow one rule or the next -- whether they use birth control in their lives, or

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Paul Finkelman
Frank, I think your point misses the issue. It is not about whether particular Catholics follow one rule or the next -- whether they use birth control in their lives, or support choice, or support the death penalty, or think toruture is a good public policy.  My point is not about what the poli

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Paul Finkelman
Eugene, ÂI can promise you, if I want to express my contempt for the Bush administration, I will not, if you will excuse me, beat about the Bush, I will be quite blunt. No, I am merely pointing out the ironies of politics and history. Â I am not entirely sure that the policies of Republicans i

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Francis Beckwith
I was trying to make the same point as David, but with a little levity. (The point was: this stuff cuts both ways, so let's move on). You guys are wound up a little too tight for me. So much for the stereotype of "laid back Californians." :-) Frank On 6/14/04 10:48 PM, "David Cruz" <[EMAIL PR

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread David Cruz
On Mon, 14 Jun 2004, Volokh, Eugene wrote: > Now I don't want to constrain Paul's "imagination," "fascinat[ion]," or > sense of "irony" -- all three of which are fine things to have, and give > ourselves a lot of pleasure. But as best I can tell, Paul's posts are > largely ways to express his c

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Volokh, Eugene
I don't understand. Paul began by saying that (1) he imagined that if Bush were condemned by Catholic bishops for his stand on the death penalty, there'd be howls from the Bush camp about the separation of church and state, and (2) he thought it was "fascinating" that Bush would "pick and choos

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Francis Beckwith
On 6/14/04 8:11 PM, "Paul Finkelman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >It is fascinating to see Bush pick and choose which Catholic > doctrine he likes; I am sure, however, that His Holiness can see through all > of this. You're absolutely right. Picking and choosing Catholic doctrines one likes is

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Paul Finkelman
There is some irony in this, since the Republican Party has never nominated a Catholic for the presidency and in two campaigns many Republicans attacked the Catholicism of the candidate (Al Smith and John F. Kennedy) as being a tool of the Pope.  I remember  Republicans arguing that if elected

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Richard Dougherty
Interesting questions, which would be even more so if Bush were Catholic; I take it that in this situation he's wondering to what extent the bishops will promote the teachings of their own Church. As a (somewhat) controversial aside, the issues Paul mentions here, though important, do not rise

RE: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Volokh, Eugene
Title: Message     It's always hard to argue with people's imaginations, but I would assume that at least many of Bush's supporters would simply say that the Catholic bishops have it wrong on the merits -- they're entitled to express their religious views, but voters should disagree with thos

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Paul Finkelman
I wonder how Bush would respond if the Bishops all said that no Catholic voter should support a man who 1) vigorously endorses the death penalty, whcih the church opposes, and as a chief executive did not do everything in his power to oppose the death penalty and who did not use all his powers

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Mark Tushnet
My intuition is that openness matters, in constraining what a politician will say. But I agree that we're dealing with quite a marginal issue here. - Original Message - From: Richard Dougherty <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Monday, June 14, 2004 5:51 pm Subject: Re: The President and the Pop

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Richard Dougherty
Mark: I would have thought that it was the other way around on the "problematic" score, no? If Bush is looking for electoral support, wouldn't it be more advantageous to make a public statement about the matter, rather than making what looks like a rather innocuous comment to a Vatican official

RE: Religion Clauses question

2004-06-14 Thread Newsom Michael
(1) What is your authority for your claim that social research shows that adults in heterosexual marriages do better than adults in stable homosexual relationships? (2) What is your authority for the claim that children do better in "traditional marriage" families (apart from government benefits

RE: Religion Clauses question

2004-06-14 Thread Newsom Michael
You make a large claim about the position of “some leading voices in the homosexual special right community.”  Would you care to name them?  Would you care to prove or demonstrate that they are “leading” voices?   -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED

Tushnet on Newdow

2004-06-14 Thread Marty Lederman
Mark apparently wanted to recollect what it's like to take a law-school exam:  He just finished parrying 26 Questions (many of them with mulitple subparts!) on Newdow in one hour, in a public Q&A on the Washington Post website:    http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/zforum/04/sp_nation_

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Mark Tushnet
I have the feeling that this thread may have played itself out, but one matter hasn't come up -- whether there's a difference between a public statement soliciting support from religious leaders, etc., and a private conversation in which such support is solicited (and whether, in a world of lea

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Will Linden
 I do NOT find it persuasive, however, when someone proclaims "TheChurch/TheChurches should stay out of politics", and fails to explain why issues he differs with are "politics" and those he espouses are "not politics". I can only feel that the "wall of separation" is differentially permeable. (Th

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Marty Lederman
In the category of being hoist by one's own petard:  A friendly reader notes that I, too, misspelled "berserk."   J   My sincerest apology.  - Original Message - From: Marty Lederman To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics Sent: Monday, June 14, 2004 12:52 PM S

Re: The Merits in Newdow

2004-06-14 Thread Ann Althouse
Stevens creates a new prudential limitation on standing: "it is improper for the federal courts to entertain a claim by a plaintiff whose standing to sue is founded on family law rights that are in dispute when prosecution of the lawsuit may have an adverse effect on the person who is the source of

Re: The Merits in Newdow

2004-06-14 Thread Marty Lederman
1.  Section 3 of RLUIPA does not purport to protect Free Exercise rights; i.e., it's not section 5 legislation.  It is, instead, a statute that protects the manner in which federal funds are used.   2.  I agree that CT almost certainly would agree that certain religious accommodations are no

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Malla Pollack
I remember John Kennedy assuring the public during his presidential campaign that he would not take orders from the Pope if he ever had to choose between the Constitution and Roman Catholic doctrine. I find a candidate/official's views on the interrelationship between religious institutions and hi

RE: The Merits in Newdow

2004-06-14 Thread marc stern
Why? It is Virginia that has set up an establishment clause defense to the federal act. The Act itself purports to protect Free Exercise rights and Thomas does not contend these are not incorporated .And Thomas ash also joined opinions suggesting that what is permitted accommodation is not

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Steven Jamar
On Monday, June 14, 2004, at 02:04 PM, Will Linden wrote:   Or if in 1967, the excommunication of Leander Perez has been preceded by a presidential colloquy seeking papal support for civil rights campaigns. (Sorry, but for years I have been driven up the wall by increasingly incoherent responses

Re: The Merits in Newdow

2004-06-14 Thread Marty Lederman
Justice Thomas, by the way, would also hold that the Fourteenth Amendment does not incorporate the Establishment Clause:  "Quite simply, the Establishment Clause is best understood as a federalism provision—it protects state establishments from federal interference but does not protect any i

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Amar D. Sarwal
I would be happy with any of the below. Religion is a fact. No amount of handwringing or tsk-tsking will change that. Speaking to religious believers qua religious believers is a good thing and I am thankful that few presidents have chosen to circumscribe their speech as some here would have the

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Will Linden
  Or if in 1967, the excommunication of Leander Perez has been preceded by a presidential colloquy seeking papal support for civil rights campaigns. (Sorry, but for years I have been driven up the wall by increasingly incoherent responses on why That Was Different). At 01:06 PM 6/14/04 -0400, you

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Amar D. Sarwal
I did not "willfully misconstrue[]" anyone's statements. Ad hominem indeed. Spelling errors? Sorry. As for your statement that this "obviously involves something quite beyond a public official acting in accord with his religious beliefs", I respectfully disagree. I am a Roman Catholic and, if

Re: The Merits in Newdow

2004-06-14 Thread Nathan Oman
The Stevens opinion explains why Neadow lacks standing to assert his daughter's claim to be free of government sponsored religion. However, he doesn't seem to address Neadow's personal right not have the state ineffect attack his religious message to his daughter. Did I miss something here? (I

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Steven Jamar
Hmm. I wonder if the visceral response of various list members would be the same if: 1. Bush were requesting a Saudi imam to so speak out 2. Or an Iranian Ayatollah 3. Or the Dalai Lama 4. Or the religious leader of a pro-Israeli-settlements sect 5. Or Pat Robertson 6. Or Rev. Sinkford (head of t

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Marty Lederman
I don't wish to become entangled in this increasingly ad hominem debate; and I suppose I regret starting the thread, seeing as how the question appears to have been willfully misconstrued and turned to other ends.  But for what it's worth, I think it should be quite obvious from my prior pos

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Amar D. Sarwal
I have understood the distinction from the beginning of this thread.  I was just surprised that you "approved of" Kerry violating his own Church's norms by receiving communion.  Later in the thread, you made clear that you have no horse in that battle, but you mangled my position.  I will le

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread RJLipkin
In a message dated 6/14/2004 11:49:23 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: did not force you to discuss the denial of communion aspect of the story.You did that yourself when you said:"This does not mean that I would hesitate to vote against a president whoasked the Po

The Merits in Newdow

2004-06-14 Thread Marty Lederman
The collection of concurrences on the merits are quite interesting.  The Chief's opinion adopts the SG's argument -- darn-near-preposterous, IMHO (and that of Justice Thomas!) -- that the Pledge is OK in schools because "under God" is "not endorsement of any religion," but instead "a simple

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Amar D. Sarwal
I did not force you to discuss the denial of communion aspect of the story. You did that yourself when you said: "This does not mean that I would hesitate to vote against a president who asked the Pope to instruct American bishops to denounce action I approve of." The "action that I approve of"

RE: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Von Keetch
  From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED]Sent: Monday, June 14, 2004 7:03 AMTo: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject: Re: The President and the Pope In a message dated 6/14/2004 8:45:50 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I'm asking whether

RE: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Volokh, Eugene
A question: Say that in the 1960s, the President told a group of white Protestant leaders that they needed to tell their congregations to take seriously Christ's teachings of human dignity, and to renounce racism and support civil rights. Or say that in 2004 in an alternate universe, President

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread RJLipkin
In a message dated 6/14/2004 10:50:31 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: But that is the dliemma discussed by the President and the Pope, so it haseverything to do with the peculiar question discussed on this listserv. My understanding of Marty's question wa

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread RJLipkin
In a message dated 6/14/2004 10:53:37 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: In what sense has the President asked the Pope to pressure the Bishops to embrace some moral norm?  Although Jim does not say that I asserted this, just for the record, I never did.  My p

Newdow

2004-06-14 Thread Marty Lederman
Justice Stevens wrote the Opinion of a five-Justice Court, reversing the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on standing grounds. Chief Justice Rehnquist and Justices O'Connor and Thomas each wrote opinions concurring in the judgment, concluding that Newdow did have s

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread JMHACLJ
I am perplexed.  In what sense has the President asked the Pope to pressure the Bishops to embrace some moral norm?  As I understand it, the United States Catholic Conference, with one voice, rejects the moral propriety of killing unborn children (abortion).  Are there known dissenters from

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Amar D. Sarwal
But that is the dliemma discussed by the President and the Pope, so it has everything to do with the peculiar question discussed on this listserv. The position advocated by some on this listserv that the President cannot communicate with (co-)religionists about matters of faith and morals, speak

Newdow (duck)

2004-06-14 Thread David Cruz
The Washington Post is reporting that all eight participating Justices agreed that Newdow did not have standing. David B. Cruz Professor of Law University of Southern California Law School Los Angeles, CA 90089-0071 U.S.A. ___ To post, send message to

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread RJLipkin
In a message dated 6/14/2004 10:23:48 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Just so I understand, you approve of Catholic politicians taking communion against the express wishes of their Church and you would base your vote on it?    The dilemma for the American bish

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Amar D. Sarwal
"It is difficult (at least for me) to find even soft (non-justiciable) reasons against such presidential conduct.  This does not mean that I would hesitate to vote against a president who asked the Pope to instruct American bishops to denounce action I approve of."   Just so I understand, you

Re: The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread RJLipkin
In a message dated 6/14/2004 8:45:50 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I'm asking whether such conduct would be appropriate for a President who took his constitutional obligations seriously. Does this ask for our intuitions on the appropriateness of such conduct

The President and the Pope

2004-06-14 Thread Marty Lederman
Assuming that the news reports of the President's plea to the Vatican are accurate, see, e.g., http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_06_13.php#003064 (President allegedly asked for the Vatican's help in encouraging the U.S. bishops to be more outspoken "on the cultural front"),