Justice Dept. Reshapes Its Civil Rights Mission (To Religious Oriented Cases)

[RamboLiberal]

Source: NY Times

In recent years, the Bush administration has recast the federal government’s role in civil rights by aggressively pursuing religion-oriented cases while significantly diminishing its involvement in the traditional area of race.

Paralleling concerns of many conservative groups, the Justice Department has successfully argued in a number of cases that government agencies, employers or private organizations have improperly suppressed religious expression in situations that the Constitution’s drafters did not mean to restrict.

The shift at the Justice Department has significantly altered the government’s civil rights mission, said Brian K. Landsberg, a law professor at the University of the Pacific and a former Justice Department lawyer under both Republican and Democratic administrations.

“Not until recently has anyone in the department considered religious discrimination such a high priority,” Professor Landsberg said. “No one had ever considered it to be of the same magnitude as race or national origin.”



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/14/washington/14discrim.html?hp

[Pirate Smile]

1. "The changes are evident in a variety of actions:

¶Intervening in federal court cases on behalf of religion-based groups like the Salvation Army that assert they have the right to discriminate in hiring in favor of people who share their beliefs even though they are running charitable programs with federal money.

¶Supporting groups that want to send home religious literature with schoolchildren; in one case, the government helped win the right of a group in Massachusetts to distribute candy canes as part of a religious message that the red stripes represented the blood of Christ.

-snip-
¶Taking on far fewer hate crimes and cases in which local law enforcement officers may have violated someone’s civil rights. The resources for these traditional cases have instead been used to investigate trafficking cases, typically involving foreign women used in the sex trade, a favored issue of the religious right.

¶Sharply reducing the complex lawsuits that challenge voting plans that might dilute the strength of black voters. The department initiated only one such case through the early part of this year, compared with eight in a comparable period in the Clinton administration."

[Supersedeas]

11. the Theocratic wing of the Bushist movement has its priorities: go Gonzo go

[LiberalFighter]

12. Hogwash on the red stripe on candy cane representing blood of christ

Check out snopes

[LiberalFighter]

13. Stores have the right to prohibit Salvation Army solicitation

And stores should take the SA's right to discriminate in determining whether they or any organization is allowed to solicitate.


Hmmm can SA sue for discrimination if they discriminate?

If I was a store I would provide a donation to another organization doing the same type of charity that does not discriminate.

[Alexia Wheaton]

2. I'm not buying this. The only people who are being attacked here...

are the non religious people. The Christian right believes that they have the right to dictate what happens in this country. Guess what? They don't!

[ixion]

3. so, in these religious defenses... are they going to defend pagans and rastafarians as well as

whacko fundie xians?

And how about that separation of Church and State thing? You don't think that's going to get in the way at all, do you? :eyes:

[Richard Steele]

4. Finally, someone is standing up for the poor opressed Christians!

:sarcasm:

[Heidi]

5. Kick.

:kick:

[maddezmom]

6. Justice Dept. Reshapes Its Civil Rights Mission(Religion not Race is focus)

Source: New York Times

Justice Dept. Reshapes Its Civil Rights Mission
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By NEIL A. LEWIS
Published: June 14, 2007
WASHINGTON, June 13 — In recent years, the Bush administration has recast the federal government’s role in civil rights by aggressively pursuing religion-oriented cases while significantly diminishing its involvement in the traditional area of race.

Paralleling concerns of many conservative groups, the Justice Department has successfully argued in a number of cases that government agencies, employers or private organizations have improperly suppressed religious expression in situations that the Constitution’s drafters did not mean to restrict.

The shift at the Justice Department has significantly altered the government’s civil rights mission, said Brian K. Landsberg, a law professor at the University of the Pacific and a former Justice Department lawyer under both Republican and Democratic administrations.

“Not until recently has anyone in the department considered religious discrimination such a high priority,” Professor Landsberg said. “No one had ever considered it to be of the same magnitude as race or national origin.”



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/14/washington/14discrim.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[tblue]

7. Goodie because Christian churches & their interests just can't catch a break

DOJ changes include:

¶Intervening in federal court cases on behalf of religion-based groups that assert they have the right to discriminate in hiring in favor of people who share their beliefs

¶Supporting groups that want to send home religious literature with schoolchildren

¶Vigorously enforcing a law enacted by Congress in 2000 that allows churches and other places of worship to be free of some local zoning restrictions.

¶Taking on far fewer hate crimes and cases in which local law enforcement officers may have violated someone’s civil rights.

¶Sharply reducing lawsuits that challenge voting plans that might dilute the strength of black voters. The department initiated only one such case through the early part of this year, compared with eight in a comparable period in the Clinton administration.

/snip
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/14/washington/14discrim.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&hp

[DeepModem Mom]

8. K&R

[slay]

9. WTF ever happened to separation of church and state?

THIS religious stuff is their priority now? Last time I checked, you can worship whoever, or whatever you want, on your own time. Don't flaunt it at work, the same way you don't get drunk at work. These Bush people are just sickening in their hatred for non-religious people. These so called religious "conservatives" need to learn to live and let live and stop trying to force everyone to be like them.

[sabra]

10. k & r

[dbackjon]

14. And religion is a CHOICE

Unlike Race, Sex, or sexual orientation....