In today's News:

Court hears arguments for praying coach

Yesterday, The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit again heard oral argument in the case of Coach Joe Kennedy, the longtime Bremerton, Washington, football coach who was fired after the 2015 season because he took a knee in brief, personal prayer after football games. First Liberty Institute and others collectively represent Kennedy. In January 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to review the case at that time and instead allowed Coach Kennedy’s case to continue through the court system. In a separate statement written by Justice Alito and joined by Justices Thomas, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, the justices explained that the Court needed more information in order to resolve the matter. As Alito wrote, “The Ninth Circuit’s understanding of the free speech rights of public school teachers is troubling and may justify review in the future.” The case then returned to the district court for further review where, in January, 2020, U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Leighton granted the Bremerton school district’s motion for summary judgment. Kennedy’s attorneys then appealed to the Ninth Circuit.

Texas’ abortion ban thrown out

The United States Supreme Court has reversed a lower court decision that upheld a temporary ban on most abortions in Texas, asking the appellate court to dismiss the case as moot. The Supreme Court granted the petition of Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics to reverse a ruling from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld an executive order from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott banning most abortions in an effort to free up hospital space for coronavirus patients. The Fifth Circuit's ruling itself reversed a judge's ruling at the district court level. Abbott's executive order came in March, 2020, a time when most U.S. states had implemented shutdowns of varying intensity in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Pro-life views termed ‘violence’

In a recent trend, abortion activists have been declaring the at espousing pro-life views is “violence.” One example came on the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris released a joint statement celebrating the “landmark ruling.” The statement lamented the “relentless and extreme attack” of the previous administration on “reproductive health, including the right to choose,” and they pledged to appoint Roe-friendly judges and to codify the ruling into federal law. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee responded to Harris’ tweet linking the statement with his own tweet pointing out “abortion isn’t healthcare.” In a subsequent tweet, he urged followers to support Hope Clinic, a pregnancy resource center that staffs OB/GYNS and nurses and offers a variety of health services. In response, Francie Hunt, executive director of Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood, an affiliate of Planned Parenthood Action, falsely claimed that the governor’s tweet could lead to violence. “political violence is a real danger in this country, and when the governor implies that abortion is something other than life-saving health care, it puts us all in danger,” she asserted.