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1725 Copyright for Religious Creators
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explains the history of protections for intellectual property in American law. The protections seek to protect the fruits of creators’ labor. Intellectual property can be divided into three main categories: patents, trademarks, and copyrights. Cloe describes how to determine which category applies and the consequences of violating another’s intellectual-property rights.
Continue reading “1723 Intellectual Property Overview for Religious Organizations”
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer on April 19, 2017. The church is challenging Missouri’s exclusion of religious groups from the state’s grant program for playground surfaces, which is based on the state’s constitution. The relevant amendment is one of many often referred to as “Blaine Amendments.” Josh interviews Dave Roland, the Director of Litigation and cofounder of the Freedom Center of Missouri about the history behind these amendments and their ramifications for modern American law. Continue reading “1721 What is a Blaine Amendment?”
To discuss the background of the case, Josh interviews Dave Roland, the Director of Litigation and cofounder of the Freedom Center of Missouri.
Continue reading “1719 Background on Trinity Lutheran v. Comer”
There are many ways that faith communities can help immigrants make their way after they arrive in the United States. In this episode, immigration lawyer Dallin Lykins shares some of these, how the current political debates about immigration affect immigrants’ experiences of American life, how the refugee system works, and where people of faith and lawyers can go to connect with immigrants who need help.
Continue reading “1718 Faith communities helping immigrants”
A nonprofit organization in Monroe County, Indiana, has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana challenging a statute that authorizes religious colleges and universities to sponsor charter K–12 schools. The challenge is based on the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The suit asserts that permitting a faith-based institution to review a school’s proposed curriculum and decide whether to authorize a charter violates the federal constitutional principle of separation of church and state. Continue reading “Group challenges schools chartered by religious colleges”
During a heightened time of debate and anxiety, many faith communities have joined or are considering joining what’s known as the “Sanctuary Movement.” The concept of sanctuary has historical roots, but it isn’t legally supported. Faith communities and other nonprofits should investigate the potential risks they can assume before joining the Sanctuary Movement.
Dallin Lykins of Lewis & Kappes in Indianapolis explains sanctuary, the history of sanctuary, what providing sanctuary means, what it doesn’t mean, and some considerations to keep in mind before becoming a sanctuary congregation. See below for details about Dallin and resources on sanctuary.