“Should Courts Care if a Juror Thinks She Might Burn in Hell?” by Nathaniel Romano

“Arms-Fold” by Dorset Photographic is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0  On September 12, 2019, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit granted habeas corpus relief to William Barnes, who had been previously sentenced to death in North Carolina. The basis for the court’s ruling was the fact that during deliberations at trial, a juror relied on

“Selling Salvation: Catholic Hospitals in the Healthcare Marketplace” by Allison Roberts

Daughters of Charity holy card. 1896. University of Dayton Libraries / Wikimedia Commons. My mother spent 25 years working for a Catholic hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.  When she was hired in 1984, Catholic faith was a requirement for management, and nuns roamed the halls.  For every five years of service, she received a new metal

“Should Assisted Suicide Be Legalized? A Jewish Perspective ” by Aryeh Klapper

Red and black abstract photo/ Tobias Aeppli / Pexels Autonomy and dignity are standard grounds for arguments supporting the legalization of assisted suicide.  The prima facie case is excellent: forbidding suicide limits human autonomy, and compelling people to live against their will diminishes their self-determination and therefore their dignity. Counter-arguments often rest on assertions about

“Affirmation of Baptismal Faith in the Context of Gender Transition” by Christopher Grout

Cover image: “Baptistry” by patentboy is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 . What is the position of an individual who, having transitioned from one gender to another, seeks baptism within the Church of England? The sacramental nature of baptism is described in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion and the requirements associated with the baptism itself in the Canons of the Church

Transgender Rights, Bathroom Bills, and the Families of Transgender Youth: A Conversation with Director Vlada Knowlton

Director Vlada Knowlton sat down with the Emory University community to talk about her recent film The Most Dangerous Year. You can watch the trailer for the film above and explore video excerpts from the Q&A below. Gender is a matter of perennial concern in legal and religious spheres, and its implications are often profound: a

“Rawlsian Public Reason and Religious Leadership of Public Officials” by M. Christian Green

Cover Image: U.S. Congressman Mike Pompeo in 2011. Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia CC BY-SA 3.0 On May 30, 2019, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards—the only Democratic governor of a deep-south state—signed into law a “heartbeat bill” banning abortion after six weeks. In defending his decision, which contravenes the national Democratic Party’s platform plank on securing reproductive health and

“The Problem with the Peace Cross” by Adam McDuffie

Bladensburg World War I Memorial. Bladensburg, Maryland. Flickr. CC BY 2.0. In its recent decision in American Legion v. American Humanist Association, the Supreme Court has once again drawn conclusions grounded in a faulty reading of history. Ruling 7-2 that a 40-foot cross located along a highway in Bladensburg, Maryland does not violate First Amendment

“Brexit in Context” by Allen D. Kowalczyk

Cover image: Palace of Westminster, London. 2007. Wikimedia Commons. (CC BY-SA 2.5). To most Americans, the Brexit phenomenon is a uniquely European enigma. Images of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s unruly tuft of blonde hair and Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow’s fuming face while moderating an argumentative Parliament are now ubiquitous on