And what type of books are we talking about? Well, the Bible for sure. Of course, there are many others, like all eastern religious texts, the Koran, the creeds, any account of Constantine’s conversion to Christianity, and any account of Joseph Smith’s First Vision. Even less overtly classical religious texts would be banned, such as Les Miserables (in which Jean Valjean is an obvious Christ Figure), The Iliad, and the Odyssey.

So, the Idaho Charter School Commission is effectively saying you can study the history of Christianity, but you can’t read the Bible when you do it. Likewise, you can study Iranian politics, but you can’t read the Koran, which is the ultimate basis for Iranian law and social interaction. You can mention Mormonism in American history, but you cannot read Joseph Smith’s First Vision or any excerpt of the Book of Mormon. Nor can you read the Iliad or Odyssey in literature class, or when studying Greek history. And one of the greatest French novels ever written, off limits given its religious nature. Oh, and every musical text that mentions religion of any type cannot enter a charter school or be sung by its students. What a ridiculously inane rule.

A lawsuit has been filed to overturn this rule, but its success is in question. What is clear is this rule is censorship, and censorship of only one subject matter: religion. Ultimately, this rule will unduly limit the valuable texts school children can study, which will likely lead to worse student outcomes.

If you feel your religious rights have been unduly burden by a school, employer, or government agency, pleas contact Brown Law at 800.299.1016 or 801.274.3200. We help those whose religious freedom has been taken away.

Well, the woman, who had no criminal history, sued the police for the cavity search. A few days after she filed her suit, the police settled and agreed to pay her bill.

This is yet another example of why everyone, including Utahns, need an attorney when they are accused of drug crimes. The police are relentless, and when they’re wrong, they’ll hold you responsible for their mistake.

If you have been charged with drug possession, or any other drug crime, call the criminal law team at Brown Law: 800.299.1016, or 801.274.3200.

1. Thou shalt not assume a religion unknown to you is not a religion.

2. Thou shalt allow employees to participate in religious observances.

3. Thou shalt treat religious displays in the workplace equally among religions.

Click here for all the commandments.

A Russian court has banned a painting depicting Mickey Mouse as Jesus Christ. The painting is of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, but with Mickey providing the Beatitudes. After hearing evidence, the court in central Russia determined the painting was extreme, which means it will be banned from publication, art shows, and other public viewings.

The painting originally made its debout in 2007 at an art exhibition called Forbidden Art. The painting came to the attention of prosecutors when a Christian group accused the organizers of Forbidden Art of defacing religious symbols. Previous to the recent court ruling banning the painting, the Forbidden Art organizers were fined for inciting religious hatred.

Thankfully, in America we have a First Amendment that protects religious expression. Integral to that freedom is the freedom to express dissatisfaction with religious institutions and figures, such as Christ. If this were not the case, then Muslim Imams who spoke against Jesus could be jailed, as could Christian preachers who burn copies of the Koran as a symbol of their dislike for the Muslim holy book. Likewise, Southern Baptists could be fined and thrown in jail for speaking their mind about Mormons and Joseph Smith. Freedom of religious expression is messy, but its infinitely better than government censorship.

Click here for a more in depth report regarding this story.

And how right the court is. Imagine the type of police overreach that would take place if the public could never video the police. The police, like everyone else, need to be subject to full public scrutiny when in public. If we can videotape celebrities when they go out for dinner, we can certainly videotape the police in order to ensure they don’t violate people’s constitutional rights.

Click here for a link to the full decision.

A very interesting finding indeed.

Essentially, the Supreme Court said the Texas prisoner could not collect money damages from Texas because Texas did not give up a type of legal immunity called sovereign immunity when it took federal money to help pay for Texas state prisons. The Court’s decision, while unfortunate for prisoners, is probably right. That said, religious freedom is now the only type of civil right that doesn’t allow you to sue for money damages. Congress will now have to solve that problem by passing future laws allowing such suits.

If the Government Has Denied Your Religious Freedom, Contact Brown Law.

Brown Law is your Utah religious freedom law firm. If the government has denied your religious freedom, call 801.274.3200 or 800.299.1016.

“Complete extraction of existing, hidden, and deleted phone data, including call history, text messages, contacts, images, and geotags, a CelleBrite brochure explains regarding the device’s capabilities. The Physical Analyzer allows visualization of both existing and deleted locations on Google Earth. In addition, location information from GPS devices and image geotags can be mapped on Google Maps.”

When the ACLU asked the Michigan State Police for records regarding how this scanning device has been used, the police stonewalled and refused to respond to the request.

The obvious concern is police could use this device to download a person’s entire phone during minor traffic stops or stops for questioning. Cops are known for pressuring people to search backpacks, luggage, cars, etc. When people refuse, cops will say, “Why? If you have nothing to hide, you don’t need to worry.” This, of course, is merely a way to search what they do not have the constitutional authority to search. And with this device, cops could pressure people to give up massive amounts of personal information, which the cops would have forever and could use at some future time for practically any purpose.

Been the Victim of an Unreasonable Search? Contact Brown Law.

Brown Law’s Utah criminal defense team will help you if the government has engaged in an illegal search of your or your property. Call 801.274.3200 or 800.299.1016. We are available 24/7 to help you.

Now, no one should burn a Qur’an. Doing so is insensitive and blasphemous. Beyond that, the Qur’an contains many truths we can all use to become better people. However, under Professor Khan’s “if-it-causes-violence-Congress-can-ban-it standard,” large amounts of speech could be easily banned. For example:

• Protesters outside Mormon General Conference, who regularly desecrate Mormon temple garments and Mormon scripture, could be banned because physical altercations between themselves and Mormons have happened previously.
• A black-American male kissing a white woman to demonstrate that race isn’t important could be banned because such action has previously resulted in violence from white racists.

Ultimately, the Constitution affords people the right to do all sorts of blasphemous and insensitive things, including those who burn the Qur’an, the Bible, the Baghavad Gita, or the Book of Mormon. Those rights cannot be taken away in the name of “domestic peace.”

“The temple, located near Granger High School at 3595 West Lancer Way (3650 South), is the third Vietnamese temple in Utah. The two-story structure, complete with a pagoda roof, long steps leading up to the main entrance on the second floor, and two large statues of Buddha in the front courtyard, becomes one of the largest Buddhist structures in Utah. Most Buddhist temples in Utah are built in homes.”

Most of the work was accomplished by volunteers. What a beautiful thing to see.