Conviction Archives - Canopy Forum

“Joseph Smith for President: The Prophet, The Assassins, and the Fight for American Religious Freedom’ by Spencer W. McBride” by Peter Wosnik

Dec 5, 2022Canopy ForumConviction, Literature HighlightsChristianity, December 2022, History, Religious Freedom, Social Sciences, Wosnik, Peter

Image adapted from Wikicommons by DhLeaks44 / CC BY-SA 4.0 “REVIEW: Joseph Smith for President: The Prophet, The Assassins, and the Fight for American Religious Freedom by Spencer W. McBride” Peter Wosnik Now a world-wide faith with over 16 million adherents, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (popularly known as Mormonism) began as a small, radical…

The Potential Religious Context of The Fourth Amendment by Peter Wosnik

Nov 14, 2022Canopy ForumConvictionChristianity, Constitutional Law, History, November 2022, Wosnik, Peter

Image adapted from Wikicommons by DhLeaks44 / CC BY-SA 4.0 “The Potential Religious Context of The Fourth Amendment” Peter Wosnik James Madison first introduced the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to Congress in 1789. Since that time, the Fourth Amendment has become a bedrock in criminal procedure in American constitutional law. Thousands of state and federal cases…

“The Supreme Court Expands the Rights of Prisoners Facing Execution” by Peter Wosnik

Jul 20, 2022Canopy ForumConvictionHistory, July 2022, US Supreme Court (SCOTUS), Wosnik, Peter

Image adapted from Wikicommons by DhLeaks44 / CC BY-SA 4.0 “The Supreme Court Expands the Rights of Prisoners Facing Execution” Peter Wosnik Religious liberty claims in death penalty cases have been an active area of litigation in the Supreme Court over the last several years. In a recent line of cases, the Supreme Court has clarified both a…

“What the Theological Roots of Reasonable Doubt Might Teach Us” by Peter Wosnik

May 6, 2022Canopy ForumConvictionChristianity, History, May 2022, Wosnik, Peter

Image adapted from Wikicommons by DhLeaks44 / CC BY-SA 4.0 “What Theological Roots of Reasonable Doubt Might Teach Us” Peter Wosnik Unlike some esoteric legal terms, the term “reasonable doubt” is familiar to most Americans. Anyone who has sat in jury service in a criminal trial or watched a legal drama has likely encountered the phrase. What many…

“Harold J. Berman on the Revitalization of Criminal Law and Religion” by Peter Wosnik

Mar 31, 2022Canopy ForumConviction, Literature HighlightsCriminal Law, March 2022, Social Sciences, Wosnik, Peter

Image adapted from Wikicommons by DhLeaks44 / CC BY-SA 4.0 “Harold J. Berman on the Revitalization of Criminal Law and Religion” Peter Wosnik The age we live in can be defined in part by its skepticism: skepticism of our national history, of our traditions, of our institutions. Commentators from various ideological persuasions have bemoaned the collapse of important…

“What has Christianity to do with Criminal Law?” by Peter Wosnik

Feb 21, 2022Canopy ForumConvictionChristianity, Criminal Law, February 2022, History, Wosnik, Peter

Image adapted from Wikicommons by DhLeaks44 / CC BY-SA 4.0 “What has Christianity to do with Criminal Law?” Peter Wosnik Released in 2020 by Routledge Press, Christianity and Criminal Law provides a veritable trove of insights into this important area of study. Not only does the work show the historical influence of Christianity on the development of modern…

“Ramirez v. Collier: Will the Supreme Court Expand the Right to the Presence of a Spiritual Advisor for Prisoners During Execution?” by Peter Wosnik

Jan 21, 2022Canopy ForumConvictionChristianity, History, January 2022, Religious Freedom, US Supreme Court (SCOTUS), Wosnik, Peter

Image adapted from Wikicommons by DhLeaks44 / CC BY-SA 4.0 “Ramirez v. Collier: Will the Supreme Court Expand the Right to the Presence of a Spiritual Advisor for Prisoners During Execution?” Peter Wosnik In September 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a rare, eleventh-hour stay in an execution case for prisoner John Ramirez. Ramirez was convicted of stabbing…

“The End of Conviction and Possible Beginnings for Criminal Law and Religion” by Matthew P. Cavedon

Apr 26, 2021Canopy ForumConvictionApril 2021, Cavedon, Matthew P., Criminal Law, Philosophy of Religion

Image adapted from Wikicommons by DhLeaks44 / CC BY-SA 4.0 “The End of Conviction and Possible Beginnings for Criminal Law and Religion” Matthew P. Cavedon Conviction began just about a year ago and is now coming to an end. The premise for this series was that the intersection of criminal law and religion is an interesting, crowded place.…

“The Right to Shun: Ghent’s Misguided Jehovah’s Witness Decision” by Matthew P. Cavedon

Apr 19, 2021Canopy ForumConvictionApril 2021, Cavedon, Matthew P., Christianity, Europe (Geography), Religious Freedom

Image adapted from Wikicommons by DhLeaks44 / CC BY-SA 4.0 “The Right to Shun: Ghent’s Misguided Jehovah’s Witness Decision” Matthew P. Cavedon In March, the criminal court of Ghent, Belgium fined the congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW) for “inciting discrimination and hatred or violence against former members.” The case centered on the JW practice of “disfellowshipping.” While the…

“France’s New Marriage Laws Could Trigger Islamophobic Abuses” by Matthew P. Cavedon

Mar 22, 2021Canopy ForumConvictionCavedon, Matthew P., Europe (Geography), Family Law, March 2021, Secularism

Image adapted from Wikicommons by DhLeaks44 / CC BY-SA 4.0 “France’s New Marriage Laws Could Trigger Islamophobic Abuses“ Matthew P. Cavedon France is enacting sweeping legislation targeting Islamist extremism. Its new “separatism law” aims to ensure that Muslims integrate into the secular community. A number of its provisions, including restrictions on publishing information about public employees and limits…