Free Republic

Two New Jersey homeowners are being fined by their condominium association for placing an 18-inch-tall figurine of the Virgin Mary on their porch. Thomas More Society Special Counsel Christopher Ferrara is representing Mary Jeanne Vassallo and her co-owner in what he describes as a “clear cut case of religious discrimination in housing.” On March 7, 2020, the not-for-profit, national public interest law firm sent a demand letter to the managing agent of the condominium association and the association’s board members seeking appropriate resolution on the owners’ behalf. “I am confident that we can prevail on the claims in this...

For some reason, Democrats love to ask President Trump's judicial nominees about their religious backgrounds. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) was worried that U.S. district judge Peter Phipps, nominated to serve on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, would be no exception. So, he launched a preemptive strike at Wednesday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing and asked Phipps about his membership in the Knights of Columbus (KoC), a Catholic fraternal organization, and whether it has anything to do with his nomination. After all, Democrats have obsessed over the group in recent years. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) admitted to being puzzled such line...

The disturbing, coordinated attack on the Covington Catholic School kids, and the school itself, is yet another salvo in the ongoing war against Christians. It pours the footers for what is coming next — an all out attack to cripple Christian schools. That, in turn, will lay the cultural and legal foundation for breaking the organized church. The direction is now clear. In the days before the Covington Catholic attacks, there were attacks on Karen Pence, the wife of Vice President Mike Pence, for choosing to return to teaching at a Christian school. Both led by the media and followed...

In the Lincoln Memorial incident, the Resistance media’s agenda-driven reporting and disregard for the truth reached a new low with the Lincoln Memorial incident. A group of Catholic high school boys were waiting for their bus after attending the annual March for Life when they were set upon by two groups of leftist agitators, who insulted them with vicious and racist slurs. The kids responded with good-natured school-spirit chants, attempting to drown out the belligerent taunts. They didn’t respond with insults or any physical aggression of their own, which would have been easy to do, since the kids outnumbered their...

Over the last 72 hours, I’ve been asking myself a simple question: What would happen if a group of Black Israelites had spent an hour taunting my son’s high-school football team? How would they have reacted if a Native American elder had walked into their midst – apparently not saying anything intelligible to them, but rather banging a drum and chanting inches from one kid’s face. Would they have thought that was an effort at “peacemaking,” or just more taunting? What would they have said if some of the people walking with that elder had yelled insults at them? I...

Did columnist David Brooks put his New York Times gig at risk on Monday? Most people at liberal mainstream media outlets that have reported on the incident in Washington D.C. on Friday involving the Covington Catholic high school students, after having been made aware of the longer video and more facts about what actually happened, seem to be using the weasel type of position of saying something along the lines of "perhaps the incident is not quite like what it initially seemed but..." However, Brooks did not go that route. Instead he gave a full, flat out defense of those students...

One of the most interesting posts I’ve seen since the whole Covington thing began is this one by William Jacobson of Legal Insurrection, describing a technique commonly used by leftist activists: The recent interaction in DC between high school students (one in particular) and an older activist who is Native American reminded me of a warning I once received from a colleague as to how I needed to prepare myself if I ever was in a hostile crowd or confronted.A classic leftist/occupy activist tactic, I was warned, was to confront a target and immediately start screaming that the target was...

President Trump in an early morning tweet on Tuesday said the high school students involved in an encounter with a Native American man that went viral “have become symbols of Fake News and how evil it can be.” “Nick Sandmann and the students of Covington have become symbols of Fake News and how evil it can be,” Trump tweeted. “They have captivated the attention of the world, and I know they will use it for the good — maybe even to bring people together,” he added. “It started off unpleasant, but can end in a dream!” Nick Sandmann and the...

Some are incapable of viewing the MAGA-hat-wearing teens from Covington Catholic as anything other than pure evil. In the nearly two hours of video footage that greatly elucidate what happened between a group of boys from Covington Catholic High School and Native American veteran Nathan Phillips, there are many moments that turn the media's initial, false narrative—racist teens harass well-meaning elderly man—on its head. ...Undoubtedly, it is a teachable moment for everyone who rushed to join the social media mob condemning the kids as abominable racists, including prominent journalists on the left, right, and center. To their credit, many have...

Democratic senators quiz judicial nominee over membership in men's Catholic charitable groupSenate Democrats are facing renewed charges of anti-Catholic discrimination after quizzing a federal judicial nominee about his membership in the Knights of Columbus. Democratic Sens. Kamala Harris and Mazie Hirono were accused of “religious profiling” after they zeroed in on judicial nominee Brian Buescher’s membership in the 137-year-old fraternal Catholic charitable organization earlier this month in written questions. “The Knights of Columbus has taken a number of extreme positions,” said Ms. Hirono, Hawaii Democrat, citing the group’s opposition to same-sex marriage. “If confirmed, do you intend to end your...

In early September, the Senate held a confirmation hearing for Amy Coney Barrett, a Notre Dame law professor nominated for the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Sen. Dick Durbin grilled her about her use of the term “orthodox Catholic” to describe those who try to practice the teachings of her church. “Do you consider yourself an ‘orthodox Catholic’?” asked Durbin of Illinois, himself a Catholic, taking issue with Barrett’s use of that term to describe those who strive to align their lives fully with their church’s teachings. Hawaii’s Sen. Mazie Hirono suggested Barrett would be beholden to Catholic teaching when...

Efforts to block the highly qualified Barrett from the Supreme Court because of her faith betray our nation’s founding ideals. If you ever need much evidence that the growing “God gap” in American politics fosters an immense amount of ignorance and occasionally outright bigotry, look no farther than the concern — the alarm, even — that Amy Coney Barrett is on President Trump’s short list to replace Anthony Kennedy on the United States Supreme Court. The alarm isn’t about her credentials. She’s checked every box of excellence — law review, appellate-court clerkship, Supreme Court clerkship (with Justice Scalia), elite law-firm...

Former Irish president Mary McAleese criticized infant baptism and the Catholic Church this week, while supporting the deadly abuse of children in the womb through abortion. Speaking to the Irish Times, McAleese claimed infant baptism imposes “obligations on people who are only two weeks old.” A radical abortion activist, the political leader has repeatedly attacked the Catholic Church and others who believe unborn babies should have a right to life. Ironically, she expressed horror at the harmless act of baptizing of an infant with water while celebrating abortion – the violent destruction of infants in the womb. Breitbart reports more:...

Amazon.com has removed a Catholic group from its donation feature. The AmazonSmile Participation Agreement states that certain categories of organizations are not eligible to participate in AmazonSmile. We rely on the Southern Poverty Law Center to determine which charities are in certain ineligible categories. You have been excluded from the AmazonSmile program because the Southern Poverty Law Center lists Saint Benedict Center Inc in an ineligible category.

Viacom has a serious problem on its hands: Jake Weisman, the co-creator and writer of the Comedy Central show, “Corporate” (he also stars in the show), has threatened to “bring the whole system down.” He was referring to the Roman Catholic Church. Weisman made his threat yesterday on Twitter. His incendiary comment was in response to a news release I wrote about the February 14th episode of “Corporate.” In it, the Eucharist was obscenely mocked. A woman dressed like a nun was shown seductively sucking a cross-shaped popsicle. She remarked, “My favorite flavor—the blood of Christ.” It doesn’t get much...

The Little Sisters of the Poor are heading back to court to defend themselves against the Obama administration’s Health and Human Services mandate to provide contraception, yet again. In an unusual political move, Pennsylvania and California sued the Little Sisters, demanding the same group who won at the Supreme Court in Zubik v. Burwell provide contraceptives in their state. In early October, HHS issued a new rule that protects religious non-profits like the Little Sisters of the Poor from providing anything like contraception that would violate their religious beliefs. In a press release, Mark Rienzi, senior counsel at Becket and lead attorney...

A traditional marriage student group defended its right to exist at a Catholic university Thursday after LGBT students claimed they were a hate group.The student members of Love Saxa, a Georgetown University group which promotes healthy relationships through traditional marriage and premarital abstinence, defended themselves in a mandatory hearing against the complaints of two students, Justin Gasman, the president of GUPride, and Jasmin Ouseph, who claimed that Love Saxa promoted hostility toward LGBT individuals by promoting a view of marriage in line with Catholic doctrine.Amelia Irvine, president of Love Saxa, had to defend the group against the charges, referred Oct....

Georgetown’s website proclaims it is “the oldest Catholic and Jesuit institute of higher learning in the United States” and is “deeply rooted in the Catholic faith.” One campus group is learning, however, Georgetown’s roots might not be deep enough. Love Saxa is a recognized student group on the Georgetown campus, and it exists “to promote healthy relationships on campus through cultivating a proper understanding of sex, gender, marriage, and family among Georgetown students.” Given the emphasis the Catholic Church puts on these issues (for example, see here and here), and Love Saxa’s alignment with church doctrine, one might believe it...

A Catholic student group at Georgetown University could be stripped of its funding for its belief in traditional marriage. Love Saxa, a group that advocates for marriage between a man and a woman, is under fire from LGBTQ groups on campus, PRIDE and Queer People of Color, according to The Hoya, Georgetown’s student publication. A pro-choice student senator filed a notice on September 25, arguing Love Saxa’s definition of marriage and relationships violates university standards by fostering hatred or intolerance.The notice, which would identify Love Saxa as a hate group, could strip Love Saxa of its funding and bar it from...

A statue of St. Junipero Serra at the Old Santa Barbara Mission in California has been decapitated and splashed with red paint. The bronze statue was vandalized overnight between Sunday and Monday.