A Florida court today said a proposed constitutional amendment on religion is misleading and must be rewritten before being submitted to the voters.

Judge Terry P. Lewis of the Second Judicial Circuit Court of Leon County agreed with Americans United for Separation of Church and State and other groups that had challenged  the wording of Amendment 7 as deceptive. Read more

A coalition of religious and public policy organizations is asking several federal agencies to explain how they handle issues of religious bias in hiring when allocating taxpayer funds to “faith-based” programs.

Federal agencies often award contracts or grants to religious groups to provide social services. Civil rights and civil liberties advocates have argued that faith-based groups that accept public aid should hire staff on the basis of qualification, not belief about religion. Read more

The full 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to decide whether it is constitutional for a public school to hold graduation ceremonies in the sanctuary of a Wisconsin church.

Americans United attorneys asked the full appeals court to reconsider a recent appellate panel decision upholding the Elmbrook School District’s use of Elmbrook Church to hold graduation ceremonies for two local high schools.

In a Sept. 9 decision, a three-judge panel of the 7th Circuit ruled 2-1 that the practice does not violate the separation of church and state. Read more

Officials in Dixie County, Fla., have no right to erect a Ten Commandments display in front of their courthouse, Americans United for Separation of Church and State has told a federal appeals court.

In a friend-of-the-court brief filed today, Americans United argues that efforts to display the six-ton granite Commandments monument at the seat of government are spearheaded by Religious Right groups that want to send a message of exclusion to Americans who don’t share their fundamentalist theology. Read more