Tag Archives: supreme court

Supreme Court Denies Hobby Lobby’s Request

The Supreme Court has denied the request made by Hobby Lobby (and Mardel) to put a temporary hold on the portion of the Affordable Care Act called the birth control mandate. This means that Hobby Lobby will be expected to comply with the law when it goes into affect on January 1, 2013. Hobby Lobby is a chain of craft stores that is owned by the Green family. The CEO is David Green. He, and his family, are evangelical Christians. Mardel is an affiliated company of Hobby Lobby. It was founded by David Green’s son, Mart Green. This chain of … Continue reading →

The Supreme Court Upholds Crackdown on Television Profanity

The other night, I was having dinner with some friends. One expressed shock that she saw Luke, a deaf contestant on “The Amazing Race,” sign the term for a female dog (follow me here). I told her I wasn’t really surprised because one of the other contestants had verbally called him that derogatory name beforehand. That prompted another dinner guest to say “Oh yeah, they can say…” and went through all the curse words that could be said on television today without being bleeped out. After that conversation, I remembered that when I was growing up, things certainly seemed a … Continue reading →

Reverend Jerry Falwell as Part of Pop Culture

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I was a bit surprised when I searched Families and found no blogs about the passing of Reverend Jerry Falwell this past week. I know I must tread lightly as a blog about him seems more appropriate in a religion or even the education category as he was the founder of Liberty University. But, Reverend Falwell was certainly often in the public eye and I think he has a place in pop culture. He had two fairly public battles – one with a magazine publisher and a children’s televison character. The first public battle I remember was with publisher Larry … Continue reading →

Desegregation and the Supreme Court

Today the Supreme Court is hearing what is considered to be their 5th big case since Chief Justice John Roberts took the bench. The question being considered is whether or not the need for diversity can justify school districts using race as a factor in assigning schools for students. Background The goal, for more than 400 school districts out of the nation’s 15,000 public schools, is to make the racial make up of a school roughly the same as a district’s population. Affirmative action advocates say that the laws are critical to keeping our educational system fair to all students. … Continue reading →

Kelo vs. New London Eminent Domain Evictions May Be Near

The homeowners in the New London Connecticut eminent domain case are down to the wire. Governor Jodi Rell proposed allowing the remaining homeowners to live in their homes, retain the deed, but give the tow the right of first refusal when they sell. This plan is not supported by the Mayor or City Council, and the Council will vote tonight on whether to begin evictions. 5 of 7 council members are against Rell’s plan. The case was started when nurse Susette Kelo refused to sell and became the lead plaintiff in a court battle that reached the United States Supreme … Continue reading →

Eminent Domain and the Homeowner

What does Eminent Domain mean to you? It used to mean that the government had the right to take (usually condemnable) property, at a fair rate, to use it for roads, hospitals, or some other community necessity. Today it means you could lose your home if someone can make the government more money with your property. News reports indicate that thousands of properties have been targeted in the past few years, and these are not instances where the land is needed to provide necessary improvements or services. These properties are being taken and given to others under the guise of … Continue reading →