Versus Trump: Going to Church In Times of COVID

12/7/20  //  Commentary

On this week's Versus Trump, Charlie and Jason discuss the recent Supreme Court decisions requiring states to allow in-person religious services even while other gatherings can be banned. The pair gently disagree about how hard or easy these cases are. Listen now!

Jason Harrow

Gerstein Harrow LLP

Charlie Gerstein

Gerstein Harrow LLP

Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania: The Misuse of Complicity

7/20/20  //  In-Depth Analysis

The Supreme Court majority's expanding concept of complicity is likely to result in judges acting inconsistently, accommodating sympathetic religious claimants and denying relief to those who are not

Ira C. Lupu

George Washington University Law School

Robert W. Tuttle

George Washington University Law School

An Absolute Right to Discriminate

7/8/20  //  Commentary

Thousands upon thousands of schoolteachers at religious schools – teachers who are mostly women – have been stripped of protection against anti-discrimination laws. Once again, religious rights trump women’s right to equality.

The 2020 Ministerial Exception Cases: A Clarification, not a Revolution

7/8/20  //  Commentary

Despite legitimate controversy over the application of the ministerial exception, Morrissey-Berru is a reassuring nod toward the continuity of a principle long rooted in the American tradition of church-state separation.

Ira C. Lupu

George Washington University Law School

Robert W. Tuttle

George Washington University Law School

Espinoza and the Continued Evisceration of the Establishment Clause

7/1/20  //  In-Depth Analysis

Espinoza leaves us with a gluttonous Free Exercise Clause, and a starved Establishment Clause.

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue – Requiem for the Establishment Clause?

7/1/20  //  In-Depth Analysis

Those who still believe that the Constitution precludes state involvement in promoting religious thought and experience now have some work cut out for them

Ira C. Lupu

George Washington University Law School

Robert W. Tuttle

George Washington University Law School

The Fight for Contraceptive Coverage Rages in the Time of COVID-19

5/6/20  //  Commentary

Even the Supreme Court has been required to take unprecedented steps by closing the building, postponing argument dates, and converting to telephonic hearings. Those impacts should be reflected in all aspects of the Court’s work, including the decisions it renders for the remainder of this term.

Take Care

Versus Trump: Are Churches Being Discriminated Against?

4/28/20  //  Commentary

On this week’s Versus Trump, Jason and Charlie discuss claims by churches that stay-at-home orders violate their religious freedom. Turns out it can be a tough issue! Listen now.

Charlie Gerstein

Gerstein Harrow LLP

No, Mike Pompeo, America Was Not Founded As A Christian Nation

4/17/20  //  Commentary

By embracing Christian nationalist rhetoric, Secretary of State Pompeo ignores America’s secular constitutional tradition—and undermines the United States’ ability and credibility to promote human rights, pluralism, and the rule of law around the globe.

Versus Trump: States vs. Conscience Rule

11/14/19  //  Uncategorized

On this week’s Versus Trump, Jason, Charlie, and Easha discuss a court's opinion vacating the Trump Administration's so-called "conscience rule." This rule would have broadly permitted many employees in the healthcare sector from in any way participating in procedures with which they have religious or moral disagreements—even in emergencies. Listen now!

Charlie Gerstein

Gerstein Harrow LLP

Easha Anand

San Francisco

Jason Harrow

Gerstein Harrow LLP

Could A Ruling Against LGBT Rights in Bostock Allow Employers to Discriminate on the Basis of Religion?

10/7/19  //  Commentary

Permitting employers to discriminate against LGBT employees would open to the door to the same kind of discrimination against millions of Americans of faith

Aaron Tang

UC Davis School of Law

Versus Trump: Watch Out, Watch List

9/12/19  //  Commentary

On this week's episode of Versus Trump, Charlie and guest-host Alexandra Brodsky discuss a recent opinion invalidating the FBI's terrorism watch-list. They discuss the implications of the opinion for the Trump administration (and beyond), the merits (and demerits) of the court's reasoning, and all sorts of other cool stuff, including how annoying it is when people think they're important enough to be spied on by the FBI. Listen now!

Charlie Gerstein

Gerstein Harrow LLP

Doctrinal Inversion in the Bladensburg Cross Decision

9/12/19  //  In-Depth Analysis

The Supreme Court recently made the exception into the rule for Establishment Clause cases, and signaled how it will refashion and discount disfavored precedent going forward.

Take Care

Race, Class, and Challenges to Abortion Restrictions

5/17/19  //  In-Depth Analysis

Race and class are intricately entwined with laws like the Hyde Amendment, and no advocacy on the issue can ignore this fact

David S. Cohen

Thomas R. Kline School of Law

Trump's Unyielding Religious Exemptions from the Contraceptive Coverage Requirement Are Unconstitutional

3/26/19  //  In-Depth Analysis

The administration has issued a religious exemption rule that collides with the Establishment Clause