State Rep Jason Spencer of Woodbine prefiled a bill on Tuesday that appears to be aimed at the practice of Muslim women wearing niqabs or burqas. Both types of headgear mask the woman’s face, which is a religious practice followed by many Muslims. House Bill 3 modifies a section of Georgia’s code that prohibits the
One of Donald Trump’s campaign promises made to attract the support of evangelical Christians is to bring about an appeal of the so-called Johnson Amendment. What is known as the amendment is actually a portion of the IRS code enacted with the support of Senator Lyndon Johnson that prohibits 501-C3 nonprofit charitable institutions, including churches,
Senators Greg Kirk and Vincent Fort wrapped up their series of debates over religious liberty Thursday night with an appearance in Tifton. While the various religious liberty bills from the 2016 session were brought up, the goal of the debates, according to Senator Kirk, was to offer each side of the debate an opportunity to
The “Religious Liberty” bill is looming over the upcoming legislative session to the pleasure or the dismay of many. Political watchers might recall the legislation’s various forms over past sessions ranging from the Pastor Protection Act to the First Amendment Defense Act. With legislators and policy wonks searching for the right answer somewhere in between the
A Georgia State University freshman’s desire to wear a niqab in class set off some controversy recently when one of her teachers asked her to remove it because it violates state law. According to a story in the Georgia State Signal, Nabila Khan, who is Muslim, regularly wears a niqab when in public. The niqab
The impact of religious liberty legislation in North Carolina became more visible on Monday, as the NCAA announced that seven college tournaments scheduled to be played in the Tarheel State during the 2016-2017 academic year will be moved to alternate locations. The action was taken because of the state’s House Bill 2, which requires transgender
An attorney I know once told me that finding compromise with a zoning issue is often more contentious than reaching an accord in a divorce settlement. I’ve never been divorced – but I have been on the receiving end of zoning-related ire on more than one occasion. It’s… not pleasant. Thankfully, with nearly every zoning
A plan by a religious group to build a school, a residential area, cemetery, and a worship facility on 135 acres in Newton County has drawn criticism from elected officials, according to a story in the Newton Citizen. Despite the fact that the property in question was purchased a year ago, county leadership appeared to
This morning, New York Times columnist Ross Douthat speculated on Twitter that polling in Georgia shows that evangelicals are supporting Donald Trump at a lower rate than they did Mitt Romney back in 2012. Back to Georgia: State is 40% evangelical. Romney got 53 percent. If Trump's in the high 30s, he *has* to be
This week’s Courier Herald column: The benediction to the first night of the Republicans’ convention two weeks ago was unusual. Pastor Mark Burns of South Carolina announced to the delegates “Our enemy is not other Republicans, but is Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party.” He then prayed that “we together can defeat the liberal Democratic
