Archive for the ‘Texas’ Category
East Texas Baptist University & Houston Baptist University v. Sebelius
October 8, 2012
East Texas Baptist University and Houston Baptist University have a few things in common: Both are Christian liberal arts colleges in Texas, both hold faith central to their educational missions, and both are standing up to the HHS mandate, which forces them to violate their conscience or pay crippling fines. Baptists in America, by virtue [...]
Church Wins Zoning Appeal; City Surrenders
May 3, 2012
City must recognize Church’s right to gather for worship For Immediate Release: May 3, 2012 Contact: Jeff Gasser, (202) 349-7201 Washington, D.C. – Today, the Becket Fund and a Christian church in Texas scored a huge victory for religious freedom. After five years of litigation, the Elijah Group, an evangelical Christian church in Leon Valley, [...]
Merced v. Euless (2009)
December 17, 2011
Protecting the right to freely worship at home, the Becket Fund represented a Santeria priest in Texas who—because of discriminatory state action—was unable to perform certain religious rituals in his own home. In an important ruling under the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth [...]
Van Orden v. Perry (2005)
December 16, 2011
In an Establishment Clause challenge to a Ten Commandments display on the Texas State Capitol grounds, the Becket Fund’s amicus brief argued that such displays are constitutionally protected. The Supreme Court ruled our way. Additional Resources: Becket Fund’s Supreme Court Amicus Brief Supreme Court Opinion
Tagore v. Dept. of Homeland Security, Houston, TX (2010-present)
August 24, 2011
In April 2005, Kawal Tagore reported to her job with the IRS at the Leland federal building in downtown Houston, as she always did. But that day was different: her supervisor sent her away from the office and told her not to return. Ms. Tagore had recently been baptized in the Sikh faith. She thus [...]
Elijah Group v. City of Leon Valley, Texas (2010 – present)
July 27, 2011
Houses of worship in Texas must be treated fairly, thanks to the Becket Fund. The Becket Fund stepped in when the City of Leon Valley, Texas refused to allow a church, the Elijah Group, use its building for worship. The city enacted a new zoning ordinance with a retail corridor intended to boost tax revenues [...]
Moussazadeh v. Texas Department of Criminal Justice (2005 – present)
February 7, 2011
Max Moussazadeh is an observant Jew confined in the Texas prison system. When he asked the state to accommodate his religious beliefs by providing him with a kosher diet, the state refused. Thus, in October 2005, The Becket Fund joined forces with megafirm Latham & Watkins LLP and filed a lawsuit against Texas. The lawsuit [...]
