RELIGION HEADLINES

(SRN NEWS) – A lawsuit filed by 17 states challenging federal rules entitling workers to time off and other accommodations for abortions may proceed, a federal appeals court ruled. The Eighth Circuit Court’s decision reverses the Eastern District’s dismissal of the case in June due to lack of standing.  Led by Republican state attorneys general in Tennessee and Arkansas, the states sued the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission challenging its rules on how to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.  It’s a 2022 bipartisan law requiring employers to make reasonable accommodations for pregnant employees. 

A lawsuit challenging Georgia’s near-ban on abortion is headed back to a trial court to decide if the people who want to overturn the law have legal standing to sue.  The Georgia Supreme Court voted 6-to-1 to require the trial court judge to re-examine standing issues.  The court cited its own January decision in an unrelated case that changed state law on who may sue.  In the meantime, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney’s ruling from September striking down the measure remains on hold. Georgia’s ban prohibits most abortions once a baby’s heartbeat can be detected. 

A conservative nonprofit backed by Elon Musk is getting involved in a race that will determine the political direction of the highest court in Wisconsin.  Building America’s Future is spending 1.6 million dollars on television ads in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, supporting Republican former state attorney general Brad Schimel.  He is pro-life and opposes the LGBT agenda and big liberal groups are spending a lot of money to keep him off the Wisconsin court.  That body is expected to hear cases this year involving abortion and redistricting. 

Pennsylvania’s governing body for high school sports has changed its policy that allowed boys to compete against girls in athletics to follow President Trump’s executive order.  The board of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association has removed a policy that had deferred to school principals to determine an athlete’s gender.  High school associations in some other states have signaled they may defy the president’s order, while others were taking a wait-and-see approach.  Legal challenges are expected on both sides of the issue.