http://www.blawgrepublic.com/cat/Civil-Rights/ CIVIL RIGHTS NEWS Condesa Inc. Blawg Republic http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2012/02/school-board-wants-to-keep-bible-man.html In Jackson County, Alabama, for 35 years elementary schools have held regular student assemblies featuring "Bible Man" who tells students Bible stories.  According to yesterday's Huntsville (AL) Times, http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2012/02/judge-issues-candid-memos-in-school.html In May, Americans United filed a lawsuit challenging the Medina Valley, Texas Independent School District's plan to include student-led prayers in its graduation ceremony. The district court issued a broad preliminary injunction against prayer. (See http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/civilrights/features/~3/83D5Rtvos90/1268-transit.html Over the opposition of state transportation departments, the National Urban League, Transportation for America, the American Public Transportation Association, and a diverse coalition of other organizations, the House Ways and Means Committee today passed a bill that would strip dedicated funding fo http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2012/02/iowa-high-court-holds-ban-on-steel.html In Mitchell County v. Zimmerman, (IA Sup. Ct., Feb. 3, 2012), the Iowa Supreme Court held that a county ordinance prohibiting use on paved roads of tractors equipped with steel cleated wheels http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2012/02/president-speaks-at-national-prayer.html President Obama spoke yesterday at the National Prayer Breakfast held at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. (Full text of remarks.) He said in part: http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2012/02/nypd-report-urges-increase-surveillance.html AP reported yesterday on the contents of a 2006 New York Police Department Intelligence Strategy Report ( http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2012/02/fines-against-church-of-scientology.html AP reports that in France yesterday, an appeals court upheld a lower court's fraud conviction of the Church of Scientology that had been charged with pressuring members to pay large amounts http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2012/02/9th-circuit-orders-recordings-of.html In Perry v. Brown, (9th Cir., Feb. 2, 2012), the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals held that a California district court abused its discretion in ordering the unsealing of a video recording of the trial p http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2012/02/550-sex-abuse-victims-file-claims-in.html Yesterday at 4:00 p.m. was the deadline for filing of claims in the bankruptcy proceedings of the Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee.  The Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal report http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2012/02/court-denies-preliminary-injunction-on.html In In re: Navy Chaplaincy, (D DC, Jan. 30, 2012), the D.C. federal district court denied a preliminary injunction in an Establishment Clause challenge to the Navy Chaplain Corps selection board process for http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2012/02/retired-general-with-anti-muslim-record.html The New York Times reports that the U.S. Military Academy on Monday announced that retired Lt. Gen William G. Boykin "has decided to withdraw speaking at West Poin http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2012/02/forest-service-renews-use-permit-for.html The U.S. Forest Service has agreed to renew a controversial special use permit in a ski area in Montana.  As previously reported, in October the U.S. Forest Service withdrew an earlier decis http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2012/02/white-house-press-secretary-responds-to.html At yesterday' White House press briefing (full text), Press Secretary Jay Carney engaged in a lengthy exchange with reporters on the Catholic Bishops' strong opposition to new rules un http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2012/02/swedens-new-home-schooling-limits-being.html In Sweden, a change in law took effect January 1 that limits mores narrowly the situations in which parents can home-school their children. It is now permitted only in "extraordinary" circumstances. The new law aims to make education across the country more uniform. (See http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2012/02/indiana-senate-passes-creationism-bill.html Yesterday, the Indiana state Senate passed SB 89 (full text) by a vote of 28-22.  The bill allows public