Bill introduced to expand Supreme Court to 13 justices April 15, 2021By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Supreme Court, World News Less than a week after President Joe Biden signed an executive order announcing the formation of a commission to look into possible reforms to the Supreme Court, congressional Democrats are moving ahead with introducing legislation to expand the court from nine to 13 justices.
California bishops welcome court’s ruling easing worship restrictions February 9, 2021By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service Filed Under: Coronavirus, Feature, News, Religious Freedom, Supreme Court, World News Two California Catholic bishops applauded the Supreme Court’s Feb. 5 ruling easing the state’s restrictions on indoor worship put in place with the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. bishops’ pro-life chair calls plan to codify Roe in federal law ‘tragic’ January 25, 2021By Catholic News Service Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Respect Life, Supreme Court, World News The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee called it “deeply disturbing and tragic” that any U.S. president would mark the Jan. 22 anniversary of the Roe decision that legalized abortion by praising it and committing to codifying it in law.
Prayer, witness for life, even if virtual this year, seen as important as ever January 23, 2021By Catholic News Service Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Respect Life, Supreme Court, World News Even though “peaceful prayer and witness” will take place in a different format due to the ongoing pandemic, it “must and will continue this year” to mark the 48th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, said the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee.
Sotomayor: 13 executed under Trump administration ‘deserved more’ from court January 19, 2021By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Respect Life, Supreme Court, World News Although the Supreme Court cleared the way for the execution of Dustin Higgs Jan. 15, two justices made their objections known loud and clear in dissents that called into question the speed of these decisions and even the constitutionality of capital punishment.
‘We are better than this,’ deacon says before Johnson’s execution January 16, 2021By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Respect Life, Supreme Court, World News Johnson, 52, was pronounced dead by lethal injection at 11:34 p.m. EST Jan. 14 at a federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. His was the 12th federal execution since last summer.
Supreme Court says abortion drugs must be obtained in person, not by mail January 13, 2021By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Respect Life, Supreme Court, World News The Supreme Court Jan. 12 reinstated a federal requirement that women who are seeking abortion-inducing drugs must do so in person, not by mail, as a federal judge had allowed last year due to the pandemic and the high court had let stand.
Lisa Montgomery put to death after Supreme Court reversal January 13, 2021By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Respect Life, Supreme Court, World News After a flurry of court decisions, the Supreme Court reversed a pair of rulings from federal appeals courts that had put death-row inmate Lisa Montgomery’s execution on hold, and it denied two other last-minute requests to postpone the execution.
Critical religious liberty disputes expected for 2021 December 31, 2020By Tom Tracy Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Religious Freedom, Supreme Court, U.S. Congress, World News History may show that religious liberties under the Donald Trump administration enjoyed an elevated level of support not seen perhaps since the administration of President George W. Bush.
Court says N.Y. pandemic limits on houses of worship restrict religious freedom November 27, 2020By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service Filed Under: Coronavirus, Feature, News, Religious Freedom, Supreme Court, World News In a 5-4 decision issued just before midnight Nov. 25, the Supreme Court lifted the pandemic restrictions on congregation sizes at houses of worship imposed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Supreme Court set to hear arguments in Catholic foster care case November 2, 2020By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Supreme Court, World News The Supreme Court, with a full bench, will hear oral arguments by teleconference Nov. 4 about a Catholic social service agency that had been excluded from Philadelphia’s foster care program for not accepting same-sex couples as foster parents.
Senate confirms Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court October 27, 2020By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service Filed Under: 2020 Election, Feature, News, Supreme Court, U.S. Congress, World News A divided Senate, in a 52-48 vote, confirmed Amy Coney Barrett as a justice for the Supreme Court the evening of Oct. 26 and soon afterward she was sworn in by Justice Clarence Thomas at a White House ceremony.
