Ruling states there is no constitutional right to abortion in the U.S. By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — In a 5-4 decision June 24, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its nearly 50-year-old decision in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion in this country. The court’s 213-page ruling in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health […]
Bishop Larry Silva: On the Dobbs decision of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, June 24, 2022
REFLECTION Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Although the decision of the Supreme Court to overturn Roe vs. Wade would have been welcome any day, it is significant that it occurred on this day on which we honor the ardent love of Jesus for all his people. For […]
Supreme Court sides with coach in school prayer case
By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — In a 6-3 vote June 27, the Supreme Court ruled that a former high school football coach had the right to pray on the football field after games because his prayers were private speech and did not represent the public school’s endorsement of religion. “The Constitution and […]
Pro-life groups plan next steps after leak of Supreme Court draft abortion decision
Wait and see By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — Although many pro-life groups immediately reacted positively to the news that the majority of Supreme Court justices seem set to overturn the court’s Roe v. Wade decision, some tempered their reaction with a continued call for more advocacy while others kept a wait-and-see approach […]
Court’s decision to take up abortion case brings issue front and center
By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — When the Supreme Court decided May 17 to take up a challenge to a Mississippi abortion law, it brought abortion back to the front burner months before the court will hear oral arguments about it this fall. The court’s announcement was not unexpected. For months, people on […]
Trump nominates Amy Coney Barrett to Supreme Court
By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — Eight days after the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, President Donald Trump announced Sept. 26 that Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a judge on the Chicago-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, is his nominee to fill that seat. The president said he […]
Court: employer may opt out of contraceptive coverage
By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — In a 7-2 decision July 8, the Supreme Court upheld regulations by the Trump administration giving employers more ability to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage in their health plans. The decision, written by Justice Clarence Thomas, said the administration had “the authority to provide exemptions from […]
LGBT equality ruling’s full impact on church ‘yet to be seen,’ some say
By Mark Pattison Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — With the 6-3 Supreme Court decision June 15 banning job discrimination against individuals in the workplace identifying as LGBTQ, the Catholic Church in the United States has a new moment of reckoning. But it may be too early to tell what the full impact of the ruling […]
Supreme Court examines dementia, health issues in death penalty cases
By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court, no stranger to death penalty cases, is looking very narrowly at two aspects of capital punishment this term: if an inmate with dementia should be executed if he has no memory of the crime he committed three decades ago and if a death-row […]
Analysis: All eyes now fixed on Kavanaugh and Roe
By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — Brett Kavanaugh, the federal judge who is the newly announced Supreme Court nominee, has stepped into a firestorm. Some have praised his nomination, others have slammed it, hinging primarily on how they think he will vote on abortion cases. This contention was on full display July 9 […]
